Bullying VictimizationTake a SELSTEPNCT07372456
Nurse-Led Take a SELSTEP Program on Peer Bullying, Victimization, and Bystander Behavior Among Adolescents
A study testing Nurse-Led Take a SELSTEP Program in people with Bullying Victimization and School Bullying, run by Marmara University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
Trial summary
This randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effect of a nurse-led social emotional learning (SEL) program on bullying, victimization, and bystander behaviors among adolescents. The study will be conducted in two public middle schools in Istanbul, Türkiye, with students in grades 6-8. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 11 to 14 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Bullying Victimization, School Bullying, School Health
- What is being tested?
- Nurse-Led Take a SELSTEP Program
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 210 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTurkey (Türkiye)
- Study dates
- 3 Oct 2025to 15 May 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 11 to 14 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Students enrolled in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade during the study period
- Students whose parents/legal guardians provide consent for participation
- Students who volunteer to participate in the study
- Students without communication barriers
Who cannot join
- Students who provide incomplete data in the pre-test, post-test, or follow-up assessments
- Students who do not fully participate in the intervention program
- Students with insufficient cognitive level to complete the study requirements
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: The Effect of Nurse-Led Social Emotional Learning Program on Adolescents' Bullying, Victimization, and Bystander Behaviors
This randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effect of a nurse-led social emotional learning (SEL) program on bullying, victimization, and bystander behaviors among adolescents. The study will be conducted in two public middle schools in Istanbul, Türkiye, with students in grades 6-8. Participants in the intervention group will receive structured SEL sessions designed to enhance emotional regulation, empathy, and problem-solving skills, while the control group will continue with routine education. Outcomes will be measured using validated scales at baseline, three months, and six months after the intervention.
Read the detailed description
School violence is observed at all levels of education, but it is particularly prominent during middle school, which coincides with early adolescence. While violence tends to increase in primary school and decrease in higher grades of high school, no significant differences are observed between grade levels in middle school. Bullying has multiple negative consequences: for perpetrators, it is associated with suicide, weapon carrying, substance use disorders, and a tendency toward violence and criminal behavior in adulthood; for victims, it is linked to low self-esteem, anxiety disorders, and suicide. Due to these multifaceted negative effects, bullying prevention programs must be implemented as public health interventions. This study aims to evaluate the effect of a nurse-led, social emotional learning (SEL)-based education program on bullying, victimization, and bystander behaviors among adolescents attending grades 6, 7, and 8 in middle schools. Unlike many previous studies, this program not only seeks to reduce bullying and victimization but also aims to enhance bystander intervention. Furthermore, the intervention will be uniquely delivered by a nurse with a focus on fostering social emotional skills.This randomized controlled trial will be conducted between October 2025 and June 2026 in two public middle schools located in the Ümraniye district of Istanbul, Türkiye. The study will follow a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up test design with intervention and control groups. Randomization will be applied to ensure comparability, and participants with similar pre-test characteristics will be assigned to either group. The intervention group will receive the SEL-based training program, while the control group will continue with routine education. Post-tests will be conducted three months after the intervention, and follow-up assessments will be carried out at six months. Data will be collected in classrooms through face-to-face self-report surveys. Instruments include the Personal Information Form, Bullying Victimization Self-Efficacy Scale, Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents, Bystander Intervention in Bullying Scale, and Social Emotional Learning Skills Scale.Data entry will be performed electronically, and statistical analyses will be conducted using Jamovi. Tests appropriate for normal distribution will be used. A significance level of p < 0.05 will be considered statistically significant.
- Being tested
- Nurse-Led Take a SELSTEP Program
- Keywords
- Peer bullying, School health, Social emotional learning, Nurse, Middle school students, Nurse-Led intervention, Peer relationships, Adolescents
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Nurse-Led Take a SELSTEP ProgramOther
Nurse-Led Take a SELSTEP Program will be implemented in the intervention group once a week for six weeks. The program was developed based on the principles of social emotional learning. Each week addresses one of the five core components of social emotional learning: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. The education will be delivered using various instructional methods, including lectures, problem-solving, question-and-answer, group discussions, case studies, scenario-based learning, gamification, and brainstorming. A range of audio-visual materials will be utilized, such as computers, projectors, presentation screens, speakers, remote controls, posters, brochures, videos, colored papers, educational booklets, and magazines. Additionally, scenarios prepared for the education program have been transformed into animations, and a dedicated website has been developed to support the intervention.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Group | Experimental | Students in the experimental group will participate in a structured six-week nurse-led social emotional learning intervention. The program comprises animations, an website, and a variety of learning activities designed to enhance emotional and social skills. Receives: Other: Nurse-Led Take a SELSTEP Program |
| Control Group | No intervention | Students in this group will continue their routine school curriculum without receiving the SEL-based program. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents
The Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents (BCS-A) was originally developed by Thomas et al. (2019) and adapted into Turkish by Özbey and Başdaş (2020). The scale consists of two parallel forms measuring bullying and victimization experiences of adolescents during the past three months. Each form includes four subscales: physical, verbal, relational, and cyber. The scale has 26 items in total. Subscale scores are calculated by dividing the sum of the items by the number of items in that subscale. Reported Cronbach's alpha values for the Turkish version range between 0.606-0.806 for the victimization subscale and 0.616-0.815 for the bullying subscale.
Measured: Baseline (pre-test), 3 months (post-test), 6 months (follow-up)
Secondary outcomes (3)
Bullying Victimization Self-Efficacy Scale
The Bullying Victimization Self-Efficacy Scale was originally developed by Kim et al. (2010) to assess students' self-efficacy in coping with bullying. The scale consists of 16 items across two subdimensions: Social Resources and Action. It is a five-point Likert-type scale (1 = Not sure, 5 = Very sure). The overall scale showed a Cronbach's alpha of 0.93. The Turkish adaptation was carried out by the researchers with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.88.
Measured: Baseline (pre-test), 3 months (post-test), 6 months (follow-up)
Bystander Intervention in Bullying Scale
The scale was originally developed by Nickerson et al. (2014) to assess the level of bystander intervention in bullying situations. The Turkish adaptation was conducted by Demirbaş and Öztemel (2019). It consists of 16 items rated on a five-point Likert scale, covering five subdimensions: Noticing the Event, Interpreting the Event as Urgent, Accepting Responsibility to Help, Deciding How to Intervene, and Implementing the Decision to Intervene. Total scores range from 16 to 80, with higher scores indicating a greater likelihood of bystander intervention. Reported internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.88 for the overall scale, 0.60 for Noticing the Event, 0.78 for Interpreting as Urgent, 0.67 for Accepting Responsibility, 0.75 for Deciding How to Intervene, and 0.78 for Implementing the Decision.
Measured: Baseline (pre-test), 3 months (post-test), 6 months (follow-up)
Social Emotional Learning Skills Scale
The Social Emotional Learning Skills Scale was developed by Kabakçı and Owen (2010) based on the framework of social emotional learning. The scale consists of 40 items across four factors: Problem-Solving Skills, Communication Skills, Self-Enhancing Skills, and Coping with Stress Skills. It is a four-point Likert-type scale, with total scores ranging from 40 to 160. Higher scores indicate greater proficiency in social emotional learning skills. In the original reliability study conducted with 597 participants, Cronbach's alpha was 0.88 for the overall scale, 0.80 for Problem-Solving, 0.70 for Communication, 0.79 for Self-Enhancing, and 0.69 for Coping with Stress.
Measured: Baseline (pre-test), 3 months (post-test), 6 months (follow-up)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Jan 2026
- Study start3 Oct 2025
- Primary completion15 Feb 2026
- Study completion15 May 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (5)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Bullying VictimizationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- The study is designed as a two-arm, cluster-randomized controlled trial with a parallel-group design, consisting of pre-test, post-test, and follow-up assessments.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 210 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Marmara University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Ayse Ergun, Prof, RN, Study chair, Marmara UniversityEsma Akgul, MSc, RN, Principal investigator, Marmara University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07372456
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 28.06.2024- 68
- Acronym
- Take a SELSTEP
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 20 Jan 2026
- Last updated
- 25 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Kabakçı, Ö. F., & Owen, F. K. (2010). Sosyal duygusal öğrenme becerileri ölçeği geliştirme çalışması. Eğitim ve Bilim, 35(157).
Demirbaş, N. K., & Öztemel, K. (2019). Zorbalıkta seyirci müdahale ölçeği'nin (zsmö) Türkçe uyarlaması: geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal, 9(54), 965-985.
Nickerson AB, Aloe AM, Livingston JA, Feeley TH. Measurement of the bystander intervention model for bullying and sexual harassment. J Adolesc. 2014 Jun;37(4):391-400. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.03.003. Epub 2014 Mar 24.
PubMed 24793386Ozbey H, Basdas O. Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Bullying and Cyber Bullying Scale for Adolescents (BCS-A). Psychiatry Res. 2020 Jul;289:112994. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112994. Epub 2020 Apr 25.
PubMed 32408193Thomas HJ, Scott JG, Coates JM, Connor JP. Development and validation of the Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents: A multi-dimensional measurement model. Br J Educ Psychol. 2019 Mar;89(1):75-94. doi: 10.1111/bjep.12223. Epub 2018 May 3.
PubMed 29726005
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 25 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effect of Nurse-Led Social Emotional Learning Program on Adolescents' Bullying, Victimization, and Bystander Behaviors
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07372456
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Take a SELSTEP / 28.06.2024- 68
- Keywords
- Peer bullying, School health, Social emotional learning, Nurse, Middle school students, Nurse-Led intervention, Peer relationships, Adolescents
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 210 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Marmara UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 3 Oct 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 15 May 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 28 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effect of a nurse-led social emotional learning (SEL) program on bullying, victimization, and bystander behaviors among adolescents. The study will be conducted in two public middle schools in Istanbul, Türkiye, with students in grades 6-8. Participants in the intervention group will receive structured SEL sessions designed to enhance emotional regulation, empathy, and problem-solving skills, while the control group will continue with routine education. Outcomes will be measured using validated scales at baseline, three months, and six months after the intervention.
Detailed description
School violence is observed at all levels of education, but it is particularly prominent during middle school, which coincides with early adolescence. While violence tends to increase in primary school and decrease in higher grades of high school, no significant differences are observed between grade levels in middle school. Bullying has multiple negative consequences: for perpetrators, it is associated with suicide, weapon carrying, substance use disorders, and a tendency toward violence and criminal behavior in adulthood; for victims, it is linked to low self-esteem, anxiety disorders, and suicide. Due to these multifaceted negative effects, bullying prevention programs must be implemented as public health interventions. This study aims to evaluate the effect of a nurse-led, social emotional learning (SEL)-based education program on bullying, victimization, and bystander behaviors among adolescents attending grades 6, 7, and 8 in middle schools. Unlike many previous studies, this program not only seeks to reduce bullying and victimization but also aims to enhance bystander intervention. Furthermore, the intervention will be uniquely delivered by a nurse with a focus on fostering social emotional skills.This randomized controlled trial will be conducted between October 2025 and June 2026 in two public middle schools located in the Ümraniye district of Istanbul, Türkiye. The study will follow a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up test design with intervention and control groups. Randomization will be applied to ensure comparability, and participants with similar pre-test characteristics will be assigned to either group. The intervention group will receive the SEL-based training program, while the control group will continue with routine education. Post-tests will be conducted three months after the intervention, and follow-up assessments will be carried out at six months. Data will be collected in classrooms through face-to-face self-report surveys. Instruments include the Personal Information Form, Bullying Victimization Self-Efficacy Scale, Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents, Bystander Intervention in Bullying Scale, and Social Emotional Learning Skills Scale.Data entry will be performed electronically, and statistical analyses will be conducted using Jamovi. Tests appropriate for normal distribution will be used. A significance level of p < 0.05 will be considered statistically significant.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- The study is designed as a two-arm, cluster-randomized controlled trial with a parallel-group design, consisting of pre-test, post-test, and follow-up assessments.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Group | Experimental | Other: Nurse-Led Take a SELSTEP ProgramStudents in the experimental group will participate in a structured six-week nurse-led social emotional learning intervention. The program comprises animations, an website, and a variety of learning activities designed to enhance emotional and social skills. |
| Control Group | No intervention | –Students in this group will continue their routine school curriculum without receiving the SEL-based program. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 11 to 14 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Students enrolled in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade during the study period
- Students whose parents/legal guardians provide consent for participation
- Students who volunteer to participate in the study
- Students without communication barriers
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Students who provide incomplete data in the pre-test, post-test, or follow-up assessments
- Students who do not fully participate in the intervention program
- Students with insufficient cognitive level to complete the study requirements
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse-Led Take a SELSTEP ProgramNurse-Led Take a SELSTEP Program will be implemented in the intervention group once a week for six weeks. The program was developed based on the principles of social emotional learning. Each week addresses one of the five core components of social emotional learning: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. The education will be delivered using various instructional methods, including lectures, problem-solving, question-and-answer, group discussions, case studies, scenario-based learning, gamification, and brainstorming. A range of audio-visual materials will be utilized, such as computers, projectors, presentation screens, speakers, remote controls, posters, brochures, videos, colored papers, educational booklets, and magazines. Additionally, scenarios prepared for the education program have been transformed into animations, and a dedicated website has been developed to support the intervention. | Other | Intervention Group |
Primary outcome
Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents
Time frame: Baseline (pre-test), 3 months (post-test), 6 months (follow-up)
The Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents (BCS-A) was originally developed by Thomas et al. (2019) and adapted into Turkish by Özbey and Başdaş (2020). The scale consists of two parallel forms measuring bullying and victimization experiences of adolescents during the past three months. Each form includes four subscales: physical, verbal, relational, and cyber. The scale has 26 items in total. Subscale scores are calculated by dividing the sum of the items by the number of items in that subscale. Reported Cronbach's alpha values for the Turkish version range between 0.606-0.806 for the victimization subscale and 0.616-0.815 for the bullying subscale.
3 secondary outcomes
Bullying Victimization Self-Efficacy Scale
Time frame: Baseline (pre-test), 3 months (post-test), 6 months (follow-up)
Bystander Intervention in Bullying Scale
Time frame: Baseline (pre-test), 3 months (post-test), 6 months (follow-up)
Social Emotional Learning Skills Scale
Time frame: Baseline (pre-test), 3 months (post-test), 6 months (follow-up)
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 25 Jun 2026.
- Results publicationKabakçı, Ö. F., & Owen, F. K. (2010). Sosyal duygusal öğrenme becerileri ölçeği geliştirme çalışması. Eğitim ve Bilim, 35(157).
- Results publicationDemirbaş, N. K., & Öztemel, K. (2019). Zorbalıkta seyirci müdahale ölçeği'nin (zsmö) Türkçe uyarlaması: geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal, 9(54), 965-985.
- Results publication: PubMed 24793386Nickerson AB, Aloe AM, Livingston JA, Feeley TH. Measurement of the bystander intervention model for bullying and sexual harassment. J Adolesc. 2014 Jun;37(4):391-400. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.03.003. Epub 2014 Mar 24.
- Results publication: PubMed 32408193Ozbey H, Basdas O. Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Bullying and Cyber Bullying Scale for Adolescents (BCS-A). Psychiatry Res. 2020 Jul;289:112994. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112994. Epub 2020 Apr 25.
- Results publication: PubMed 29726005Thomas HJ, Scott JG, Coates JM, Connor JP. Development and validation of the Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents: A multi-dimensional measurement model. Br J Educ Psychol. 2019 Mar;89(1):75-94. doi: 10.1111/bjep.12223. Epub 2018 May 3.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, September), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention. Fast Facts: Preventing Bullying.Link provided by the sponsor.
- Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2024a, May). Fundamentals of SELLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Ayse Ergun, Prof, RN study chair
Marmara University
Esma Akgul, MSc, RN principal investigator
Marmara University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Nurse-Led Take a SELSTEP Program in people with Bullying Victimization and School Bullying, run by Marmara University at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye).
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents (time frame: Baseline (pre-test), 3 months (post-test), 6 months (follow-up)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07372456, which also lists 5 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 25 Jun 2026.