Music as a Resource Against Bullying and Cyberbullying: Intervention in two Centers in Spain

Abstract

Aggressive conflicts are quite frequent in schools, and all students take part in them. Bullying and cyberbullying are the most common methods used. The main objective of this work was to prevent and reduce aggressive behaviors among school children. In this study we present the results of an intervention that we have carried out in two education centers, one public and one semi-public, with students between the ages of 11 and 14. This intervention was done using music and was reinforced by a talk about human values. Two hundred adolescents from the autonomous city of Melilla, Spain, took part in this study. This was a quasi-experimental study with pre-test/post-test design and an equivalent randomized control group. The instrument used was the Garaigordóbil Cyberbullying Test. The musical intervention lasted for four months. The effect of the intervention program was checked through the t-test of related samples, checking the size of the effect through Cohen's d. The results showed a decrease in victims, aggressors and witnesses of cyberbullying in the semi-public education center and a decrease in victims of bullying in the public center. It is concluded that music can be a valid resource in making people aware of aggressive behaviors and in helping to reduce it.