A Qualitative Analysis of a Playground Mentoring Intervention for Bullied Elementary School Children

Peer victimization or bullying in childhood is a risk factor for many adverse social and emotional outcomes (Evans et al., 2014). Bullied children experience various interpersonal challenges, such as deficits in emotion regulation or social skills and peer social exclusion or rejection (Boivin et al., 2010). These challenges perpetuate the risk of continued victimization. Positive peer relations can protect against bullying, which suggests interventions that aim to enhance this aspect of children’s relations with peer may reduce incidence of bullying (Reavis et al., 2010). Youth mentoring is a widely implemented intervention for vulnerable youth that has been associated with many positive outcomes, including improved social functioning (Karcher et al., 2002); however, few studies have investigated the utility of mentoring interventions for bullied youth (Dubois et al., 2011). The present study utilized a mixed method approach to examine the effects of a playground mentoring intervention on the social and emotional experience of bullied elementary school children. Consensual qualitative research (CQR, Hill et al., 1997) was used to analyze children’s responses to a semi-structured interview about their experience of the intervention. Also examined was mean-level pre-post intervention changes in self-reported bullying experiences. Analyses revealed children enjoyed having a mentor play with them at recess, many experienced improved peer interactions, and most endorsed increased prosocial behaviors, connectedness to their peers or school, and improved emotion regulation. Many children attributed the positive changes in their peer interactions to the mentor being present at recess. Limitations, implications of findings, and directions for future inquiry are discussed.