School Program for Resilience and Bullying Prevention

School-Based Intervention to Enhance Psychological Resilience and Bullying Awareness Among High School Students: A Mixed-Methods Study

This study evaluated whether a school-based psychoeducational program could improve psychological resilience and reduce bullying victimization among high school students in Hatay, Türkiye, following the 2023 earthquake. The intervention consisted of a 10-week psychological resilience program followed by a 5-week peer bullying awareness program delivered in weekly group sessions. A single-group pretest-posttest mixed-methods design was used. Psychological resilience and bullying victimization were assessed before the intervention and three months after program completion using validated self-report scales. Qualitative data were also collected to explore students' experiences and perceived benefits of the program.

Adolescents living in disaster-affected regions may experience increased psychological distress, reduced resilience, and greater vulnerability to peer bullying. School-based psychoeducational interventions may strengthen coping skills, improve emotional regulation, and promote healthier peer relationships.

This study was conducted in Hatay, Türkiye, following the February 2023 earthquakes to examine changes in psychological resilience and bullying victimization after participation in a structured psychoeducational intervention.

The study used a single-group pretest-posttest mixed-methods design. High school students participated in a 15-week intervention consisting of two sequential components. The first component was a 10-week psychological resilience program designed to improve self-awareness, emotional regulation, coping skills, self-efficacy, goal setting, and social support. The second component was a 5-week peer bullying awareness program developed by the Ministry of National Education with educational support from UNICEF, focusing on recognizing bullying, empathy, bystander intervention, and prevention strategies.

Quantitative outcomes were measured using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure-12 (CYRM-12) and the Child-Adolescent Bullying Scale-9 Short Form (CABS-9). Assessments were performed before the intervention and three months after completion of the program. Qualitative data were collected using open-ended written questions to explore participants' perceptions of the intervention and its effects.

The primary objective was to evaluate changes in psychological resilience and bullying victimization following participation in the program. Secondary objectives included exploring students' experiences of the intervention and identifying perceived changes in personal development, peer relationships, and school climate.

**Inclusion Criteria:**

• Students enrolled in grades 9, 10, or 11 at the participating high school in Hatay, Türkiye.
• Aged between 14 and 18 years.
• Able to understand and complete the study questionnaires.
• Willing to participate in the school-based intervention.
• Written informed consent obtained from parents or legal guardians, and assent obtained from the student where applicable.

**Exclusion Criteria:**

• Students who did not provide informed consent or whose parents/legal guardians did not provide consent.
• Students who were absent from the majority of intervention sessions.
• Students who did not complete both the baseline and follow-up assessments.
• Students who withdrew from the study at any time during the intervention period.