Synthesis of Bullying Interventions for Individuals with Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis

This study synthesized 14 published and unpublished group design and single-case design studies on bullying interventions for individuals with disabilities. The specific objectives were to examine the general characteristics and design qualities of the studies, quantify the magnitude of the intervention effects, and identify potential moderating variables. Four studies were excluded from the meta-analysis due to being outliers or having insufficient data. The design qualities of the 14 studies were assessed before conducting the meta-analysis. Analysis of the study characteristics revealed that approximately one-third of the studies included participants with a singular diagnosis, many of the participants were elementary or secondary high school age, researcher was the most common implementer, schools were the most common setting, and interventions targeted bully victims more than bullies themselves. The results indicated that six studies (43%) met the What Works Clearinghouse Design Standards, with or without reservations. The overall effect size for bullying intervention with individuals with disabilities was small, and effect size of individual studies was small to large. Interventions implemented by teachers had the largest effect size; however, no statistical significance was found across implementers. Implications for practice and future research are discussed in the following areas: implementer, dose of intervention, and implementation supports.