Educational achievement and bullying: The mediating role of psychological difficulties.

BACKGROUND: Bullying has a profound and enduring impact on academic achievement. However, there is a lack of clarity surrounding the specific mechanisms of this relationship. AIMS: This study examined the link between bullying at age 9 and Numeracy/Literacy achievement at age 15 to determine if this relationship is partially or fully explained by psychological difficulties at age 13. SAMPLE: Secondary data analysis was completed on waves 1, 2 and 3 of child cohort (Cohort'98) of the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study, respectively, at 9 years (N = 8568), 13 years (N = 7527) and 15 years of age (N = 6216). RESULTS: Longitudinal path mediation model was conducted with bullying at age 9 as the predictor, total (emotional and behavioural) difficulties at age 13 as the mediator and Numeracy/Literacy scores at age 15 as outcomes revealing significant indirect effects of bullying on achievement, via psychological difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the impact of bullying on the student's psychological well-being, the relationship between bullying and academic attainment and how this may be tackled to avoid consequences throughout education and later in life. EDUCATIONAL IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: This study emphasizes the need for schools to address the emotional and behavioural difficulties occurring as a result of bullying in order to improve the overall educational experience of a child. Existing interventions can be built upon by focusing on the continuous remediation of such psychological difficulties.

A Systematic Review of Help-Seeking Interventions for Parents of Adolescents.

PURPOSE: Parents do not always seek timely help for adolescents when the need arises. Although interventions to increase parental help-seeking have been evaluated and published, no systematic review of these interventions has been conducted. The aim of this systematic review is to collate, synthesise, and evaluate research on help-seeking interventions for parents of adolescents. METHODS: Six electronic databases were searched from inception to May 2020 using terms related to the concepts of "parent" and "help-seeking" and focusing on parents of adolescents (aged 10-19 years). Methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies; the Behavioural Change Taxonomy was used to code behavioral change techniques, and "promising interventions" were identified using pre-established criteria. RESULTS: Eighteen studies met inclusion criteria, with six rated strong for design and methodology. The most frequently identified Behavioural Change Taxonomies included a credible source delivering the intervention, supporting parents, and providing prompts/cues regarding services/appointments. Four interventions were identified as "promising" because of strong methodology, significant positive outcomes, and strong evidence-base. CONCLUSIONS: More high-quality, theory-driven parental help-seeking interventions using common outcome measures are needed to advance the literature in this area. Future research should replicate the promising interventions identified to develop best practice guidelines.