Josefine Jonsson

In Norway, 6–20% of children in early childhood education and care (ECEC) experience bullying victimization. Many studies link early experiences of bullying to increased risks of developmental problems and adverse life trajectories. There is therefore a growing interest in evidence-based bullying prevention in this sector. This study examined employees’ readiness to implement Be-Prox, an evidence-based bullying prevention intervention, in Norwegian ECEC centers. Survey data were collected from 376 employees across 38 ECEC centers. Descriptive analyses were conducted to assess aspects related to readiness, such as perceived innovation fit and perceptions of organizational implementation context. Descriptive findings displayed moderately high levels of perceived innovation fit and positive organizational implementation context, indicating readiness to implement Be-Prox in the sample. Additionally, stagewise mixed-effects analyses were used to examine if demographic characteristics and perceptions of organizational implementation context predicted innovation fit. Results from the final mixed-effects model showed that employees working with younger children reported a lower perceived innovation fit compared to those working with older children ( B = − 0.29, p = 0.015). In addition, perceived organizational support for evidence-based interventions was positively associated with innovation fit ( B = 0.24, p Trial registry The project that this study is connected to as a secondary research aim is registered at Clinical Trials (ID:NCT06040437).

Background: A new and growing body of research has studied bullying among children in early childhood education and care centers (ECECs). The Bernese Program (Be-Prox) is designed to systematically prevent and handle bullying between children in Swiss ECECs. However, the effectiveness of the Be-Prox intervention has not yet been explored in a Norwegian ECEC setting. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Be-Prox in preventing and handling bullying among peers in Norwegian ECECs. Methods: ECECs from 2 Norwegian municipalities were invited to participate in a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness of the Be-Prox intervention on peer bullying in Norwegian ECECs. After baseline measures were taken, project ECECs were randomized to either an intervention or a control arm. The Be-Prox intervention was introduced to ECECs in the intervention arm through 6 modules over a 9-month period immediately after the randomization. ECECs in the control arm participated in the data collection and were offered the Be-Prox intervention the following year. The primary outcome of the effect evaluation is the mean sum of negative behavior between peers after the Be-Prox training is completed in the intervention arm. Secondary outcomes include child bystander behavior, teacher self-efficacy, and ECEC’s authoritative climate. An extensive implementation and process evaluation, as well as cost-effectiveness analyses, will be conducted alongside the RCT. Results: Baseline data collection was conducted in September 2023, and the postintervention data collection started in May 2024. At baseline, we collected data on 708 children and 413 personnel from 38 project ECECs in the 2 Norwegian municipalities. The results from the study will be available in late 2024 at the earliest. Conclusions: The proposed project includes a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of Be-Prox in Norwegian ECECs directly targeting the prevention and handling of bullying, including implementation and cost-effectiveness evaluations. The results from the project have the potential to fill in identified knowledge gaps in the understanding of negative behavior and bullying between peers in ECECs, and how these may be prevented. If proven efficient, our ambition is to offer Be-Prox to Norwegian ECECs as an evidence-based practice to prevent and handle bullying among preschool children. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06040437; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06040437 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/60626

BACKGROUND A new and growing body of research has studied bullying among children in early childhood education and care centers (ECECs). The Bernese Program (Be-Prox) is designed to systematically prevent and handle bullying between children in Swiss ECECs. However, the effectiveness of the Be-Prox intervention has not yet been explored in a Norwegian ECEC setting. OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Be-Prox in preventing and handling bullying among peers in Norwegian ECECs. METHODS ECECs from 2 Norwegian municipalities were invited to participate in a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness of the Be-Prox intervention on peer bullying in Norwegian ECECs. After baseline measures were taken, project ECECs were randomized to either an intervention or a control arm. The Be-Prox intervention was introduced to ECECs in the intervention arm through 6 modules over a 9-month period immediately after the randomization. ECECs in the control arm participated in the data collection and were offered the Be-Prox intervention the following year. The primary outcome of the effect evaluation is the mean sum of negative behavior between peers after the Be-Prox training is completed in the intervention arm. Secondary outcomes include child bystander behavior, teacher self-efficacy, and ECEC’s authoritative climate. An extensive implementation and process evaluation, as well as cost-effectiveness analyses, will be conducted alongside the RCT. RESULTS Baseline data collection was conducted in September 2023, and the postintervention data collection started in May 2024. At baseline, we collected data on 708 children and 413 personnel from 38 project ECECs in the 2 Norwegian municipalities. The results from the study will be available in late 2024 at the earliest. CONCLUSIONS The proposed project includes a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of Be-Prox in Norwegian ECECs directly targeting the prevention and handling of bullying, including implementation and cost-effectiveness evaluations. The results from the project have the potential to fill in identified knowledge gaps in the understanding of negative behavior and bullying between peers in ECECs, and how these may be prevented. If proven efficient, our ambition is to offer Be-Prox to Norwegian ECECs as an evidence-based practice to prevent and handle bullying among preschool children. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06040437; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06040437 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/60626