Pediatricians Endorse Clemson University Bullying-Prevention Program
July 21, 2009
CLEMSON, SC – July 21, 2009 – A bullying-prevention program based in Clemson University’s Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life has been endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics as an effective way to address youth violence in schools.
The academy’s policy statement on the role of the pediatrician in youth-violence prevention appeared in the July issue of its journal, Pediatrics. The academy identified the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program as the model for successful programs to prevent bullying.
Clemson’s Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life (IFNL) serves as the hub for dissemination of the Olweus program in the United States. In that role, the institute oversees all product development, research and training for the program in North and South America.
“The American Academy of Pediatrics’ recognition is gratifying as IFNL observes 10 years of leadership in uniting communities to keep kids safe,” said Gary Melton, institute director.
The Olweus approach is a school-wide program that includes interventions at the school level, in the classroom and with individual students and their parents. The program has been replicated and evaluated internationally.
In recommending that pediatricians address youth-violence prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement calls on doctors to advocate for bullying awareness by teachers, administrators, parents and children. The statement also provides guidance in choosing prevention programs that are evidence-based.
The statement highlights a national public information campaign on bullying prevention for which Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life faculty members serve as primary consultants. The campaign, “Stop Bullying Now,” is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Susan Limber holds the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life’s recently established Dan Olweus Distinguished Professorship, which focuses on the prevention of bullying and other forms of aggression among children. Limber’s work on bullying prevention earned the American Psychological Association’s prestigious Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest. She also received the Saleem Shah Award from the American Psychology-Law Society for early career excellence in law and policy.
For more information, go to www.clemson.edu/ifnl, www.olweus.org or www.hrsa.gov.
