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There is a growing interest in the factors influencing bystanders' interventions in school-bullying. However, perceived social norms, beliefs about what others do (perceived descriptive norms), and what others think one should do (perceived injunctive norms) still require attention. The aim of this study was to investigate whether students perceived three defending behaviours (alert, care and opposition) and one passive reaction as falling within social norms. Results from 5445 middle- and high-school students showed that alert, care and opposition defending behaviours were viewed as falling within perceived social norms, contrary to passive bystanding. Alert and opposition were perceived mainly as injunctive norms, whereas care was viewed as a more general norm. Multiple regressions showed that perceived injunctive norms and, mostly, perceived descriptive norms were both strong predictors of the readiness to adopt the four witness behaviours targeted in the study. The implications of these results for informing future debate and practical actions in schools are discussed.

As school climate plays a key role in adolescents' academic and socio-emotional outcomes, interventions that can enhance this climate are of major interest. In considering research on practices linked to a positive school climate, School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is a promising approach. To date, most SWPBIS studies have been conducted in English-speaking countries and have been based primarily on adults' perceptions or reports (e.g., suspension rates, office discipline referrals). There is a dearth of research on the effectiveness of SWPBIS among adolescents in different cultural contexts. Moreover, little is known about its propensity to influence adolescents' perceptions of school climate dimensions. The present study examined the effects of SWPBIS on different dimensions of school climate as perceived by French adolescents enrolled in Grades 6–9. An experimental effectiveness study was conducted among 84 grades from 21 middle schools. Multilevel analyses were conducted on data from a sample of 6765 adolescents (M age = 12.3 years, SD = 1.23; 51% girls) from 40 control and 44 intervention grades, controlling for grade-level school climate dimensions at baseline. The results suggest that SWPBIS had a positive effect on educational, safety, and teacher-student school climate dimensions. No effects were found on belonging, fairness, and between-students school climate dimensions. The findings suggest that SWPBIS had a positive effect on adolescents' perceptions of three school climate dimensions regardless of their initial perception levels. These results may provide future directions for school teams, researchers, and policymakers interested in ways to improve school climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research suggests that single use of television, computer or game console may be associated with sleep problems. In practice, youngsters have a multiple rather than a single use of electronic media (EM) every day. This study examined the association between electronic stimulation throughout the day, the final evening activity every day of the week, EM availability in the bedroom and sleep problems in 332 middle-school children (girls = 53%; mean age = 12.9). Cell phones (odds ratio [OR] = 2.5 [1.20–5.38]) and MP3 players (OR = 2.5 [1.13–5.70]) were found to predict sleep problem. An evening screen time of one hour or more is associated with a higher risk of sleep problems (OR = 3.10 [1.24–7.78]), particularly going to bed late (OR = 3.4 [1.59–7.271]) and difficulty waking up (OR = 2.15 [1.01–4.6]). Possession and pattern of EM use by adolescents are associated with impaired sleep quality and late bedtimes, indicating the need to control adolescents' screen time. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]