NCT06796621

Building Respectful Online Space (BROS): Evaluating a Co-designed Anti-cyberbullying Intervention Among Adolescents

Effectiveness of Co-designed Anti-cyberbullying Intervention [Building Respectful Online Space (BROS)] Among Adolescents: A Feasibility Study

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 120 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Chinese University of Hong Kong · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 12 Years – 15 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Background: The growing prevalence of cyberbullying throughout the world indicates the importance of anti-cyberbullying interventions, especially for adolescents. While few interventions target cyberbullying, content from different regions may not necessarily apply to local contexts, adolescents' viewpoints were not considered in the past designs, few local RCTs, and unclear sustainability. Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and preliminarily effects of the co-designed anti-cyberbullying intervention: Building Respectful Online Space (BROS). Methods: A sample of around 90 aged 12 to 15 will be recruited from secondary schools in Hong Kong. This study will adopt a 2-arm experimental trial. Each class will be randomly assigned equally into the intervention arm (BROS) and control arm (Heathy Diet), and eligible students will be allocated to either arm accordingly. The intervention will be provided in one or 3 days based on the school schedule. Participants will be assessed at baseline, 3 weeks later, and 12-week follow-up assessments. The primary outcome is cyberbullying behaviour of perpetration and victimisation; the secondary outcome includes cyberbullying attitudes, sleep quality, and psychosocial well-being. Feasibility and acceptability will be assessed. And generalised estimating equations analysis will be used to investigate the research objectives. Potential contributions: The results of this study will provide evidence-based support for using a blended approach to prevent cyberbullying, promote psychosocial well-being, and promote sleep health. This intervention is dedicated to using evidence-to-user-driven ideas to develop culturally sensitive interventions to effectively prevent cyberbullying in the future.

Detailed description

There is a growing body of literature that recognises whole-school strategy can be effective in preventing cyberbullying. Interventions, such as NoTrap! in Italy, Prev@cib in Spain, Media Heroes in Germany, 'Friendly Attac' in Belgium , and ViSC in Austria, have been shown to effectively prevent cyberbullying. Some school-based programmes integrate digital format into their intervention; for instance, the 'Cyber Friendly Schools' intervention in Australia utilises the online modules to facilitate learning; the 'Friendly Attac' program incorporates series games, and a study adopted a purely online approach to prevent cyberbullying in the Netherlands. A recent systematic review suggests that school-based intervention could comprehensively promote healthy online behaviours and reduce cyberbullying incidence among adolescents .

Conditions

• Cyberbullying

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Building Respectful Online Space (BROS)	Session 1 (40 minutes to 50 minutes): Respectful online relationship (Psychoeducation) using face-to-face approach with 40 minutes to 50 minutes online serious game Session 2 (40 minutes to 50 minutes): Navigating the online world (Psychoeducation) using face-to-face approach with 20 to 30 minutes online music therapy Session 3 (40 minutes to 50 minutes): Behaviour specific cognitions and reflection using face-to-face approach
BEHAVIORAL	Healthy diet education program	Session 1 (40 - 50 minutes): Healthy Diet Pyramid (Psychoeducation) using face-to-face approach Session 2 (40 - 50 minutes): Mindful Eating and Healthy Weight Management (Psychoeducation) using face-to-face approach Session 3 (40 - 50 minutes): Healthy Eating Habits for Life (Psychoeducation)using face-to-face approach

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-02-12
• Primary completion: 2025-05-29
• Completion: 2026-12-31
• First posted: 2025-01-28
• Last updated: 2026-01-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Hong Kong