Anti-stigma interventions that promote acceptance and empathy can reduce experiences of violence and bullying among students with mental illnesses, a new study shows.

For the study in the Journal of School Health, Melissa DuPont-Reyes, assistant professor at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, investigated the effectiveness of mental illness anti-stigma interventions in reducing peer violence among students with and without mental health problems.

The findings suggest that a curriculum intervention lessened peer violence victimization and perpetration.

Those with mental health problems are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence, as well as “bully/victims”—those who simultaneously are victims and perpetrators of violence among peers.

“Previous studies have identified how anti-bullying interventions can effectively reduce school violence, but it is unknown how these interventions extend to students with mental health problems specifically, as these students are more likely to experience bullying and peer violence at school in general compared to not experiencing any bullying or violence at all,” DuPont-Reyes says.

“A mental illness anti-stigma intervention that fosters feelings of acceptance and social integration among students with mental health problems may be an effective strategy to reduce stigma and increase help-seeking, as well as reduce peer violence, for students with mental health problems,” she says.

Read the full article about curriculum intervention for bullying at Futurity.