BullyDown, a Text Messaging-based Bullying Prevention Program for Middle School-aged Youth

NCT06017050 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: R21HD104369
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 138
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

Given the limited impact of existing school-based interventions and the time associated with implementing them during school time, more efficient and effective intervention methods are needed. Programs that can be delivered to middle school youth irrespective of whether they are attending school physically or virtually may be especially relevant as school boundaries become more fluid. BullyDown addresses this critical need by providing a scalable program that could be quickly and cost-effectively disseminated nationally.

Conditions

Bullying

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Feasibility: Recruitment Rate

  If at least 75% of eligible participants assent to participate, this will be supportive of a hypothesis of feasibility. Note that a youth could assent and not be randomized if they did not complete the baseline survey.

  Recruitment period

• Acceptability of the Intervention

  Youth were asked: "How likely are you to recommend BullyDown to other people your age?" Answers were collected on a 5-point Likert scale. The response option ranged from 1-5, with higher values reflecting greater acceptability. An average score of 4 or higher was deemed supportive of program acceptability.

  Intervention end, 9 weeks after program enrollment

• Feasibility: Retention at 3-month Follow-up

  A retention rate of 80% or higher was deemed to be supportive of a hypothesis of feasibility

  21 weeks post-randomization, 3 months after the 9-week program ended

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Feasibility: Retention Rate at Program End

  9 weeks post-randomization

Other Outcomes (3)

• Rates of Bullying Perpetration in the Intervention Versus Control Group

  Reported bullying perpetration behavior in the past 30 days at the end of the 9 week program

• Rates of Aggressive Behavior in the Intervention Versus Control Group

  Reported aggressive behavior in the past 30 days at the end of the 9 week program

• Scores of Bystanding Behavior in the Intervention Versus Control Group

  Responses provided at the program end survey, 9 weeks after they were randomized

Study Arms (2)

BullyDown intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: BullyDown

Healthy lifestyle control

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Behavioral: Attention-matched control

Interventions

BullyDown BEHAVIORAL

BullyDown is an 8 week, text messaging-based prevention program aimed to prevent bullying behaviors among middle school-aged youth. Message content is based upon the social-emotional learning model.

BullyDown intervention

Attention-matched control BEHAVIORAL

The attention-matched control will receive the messages for the same number of days as the intervention. Content will talk about 'healthy lifestyle' topics, such as fitness and healthy social media use.

Healthy lifestyle control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 12 Years - 14 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

Participants will: be enrolled in one of our partner schools, be in middle school (i.e., 7th or 8th grade) or between the ages of 12-14 years of age, be English-speaking, own their own cell phone, intend to have the same cell phone number for at least 3 months (this may or may not apply, depending on the number of youth who meet this criterion), and provide informed written assent. Non-English speakers and youth who do not have the reading ability to complete the screener are not eligible. Youth recruited from schools will also be required to have parental permission.

Contact the study team to discuss eligibility requirements. They can help determine if this study is right for you.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: collaborator
• Center for Innovative Public Health Research: lead
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Center for Innovative Public Health Research

San Clemente, California, 92672-6745, United States

Location

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599-2100, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Bullying

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Aggression; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Harassment, Non-Sexual; Social Behavior

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Michele Ybarra
• Organization: Center for Innovative Public Health Research

michele@innovativepublichealth.org

8773026858

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: Youth assigned to the control group will receive message written to seem as if it is intervention content (i.e., address bullying behaviors).
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Youth will be randomized to either the intervention or control group.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 16, 2023
• First Posted: August 30, 2023
• Study Start: August 15, 2023
• Primary Completion: June 3, 2024
• Study Completion: June 3, 2024
• Last Updated: December 5, 2025
• Results First Posted: December 5, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Locations

US (2)