Online Bullying Bystander Intervention for Middle Schools Phase II (STACII)

February 19, 2026 updated by: Klein Buendel, Inc.

Translating an In-Person Brief, Bystander Bullying Intervention (STAC) to a Technology-Based - Phase II

School interventions to reduce bullying can be effective but also require substantial time and resources. Online technologies have the potential to deliver effective bullying interventions to a large number of middle school students for less cost. The feasibility of delivering the effective STAC bullying intervention through a mobile web app will be tested using focus groups with middle school students and development and usability testing and the efficacy of the program will be tested using a randomized controlled trial.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

While studies support the efficacy of comprehensive, school-wide interventions in reducing bullying, these types of programs can require significant time and financial resources for implementation, resulting in barriers to providing school-based bullying prevention, especially in low-income and rural communities. Additionally, although training bystanders to act as "defenders" on behalf of targets of bullying is an important intervention component, few programs include this as part of their comprehensive strategy. Brief programs that focus on bystander training and require fewer resources are needed to reduce bullying and its negative consequences. The PI (Dr. Midgett) developed STAC, a brief, stand-alone bullying bystander intervention for middle school students, to reduce bullying and mental health risks for bystanders. Brief, in-person programs, however, still pose implementation barrier such as training school personnel, providing external support, and not allowing for large groups of students to be trained at the same time. For this project, the investigators propose to develop a technology-based STAC intervention (STAC-T) that will allow students to customize their experience by selecting avatars and bullying scenarios based on our previous studies conducted in a range of middle schools, including those in low-income and rural communities. The investigators will also incorporate an assessment and personalized feedback component to promote behavior change. The innovative, user-centered design proposed will be inherently sensitive to cultural needs of students and identify personally-appropriate strategies. The specific aims of this application include building the program leveraging our prior work and expertise of an external advisory board, usability and effectiveness testing with middle school students and stakeholders to evaluate feasibility, and testing the efficacy of the program with a randomized controlled trial. The technology-based platform will increase the overall reach, impact, and sustainability of the STAC intervention for bullying prevention. It will substantially reduce cost to increase reach and its interactivity and algorithms can tailor program content to adapt it further for students attending low-income and rural schools. Thus, this low-cost, easy to disseminate technology-based bullying bystander intervention has the potential to have a substantial impact on the problem of bullying and the negative associated consequences for both students who are targets and bystanders in middle school when the problem of bullying peaks. There is a large market for the STAC-T intervention with approximately 100,000 public and private schools with middle-school grades in the United States. Globally, the online education market is growing at 10% a year and the digital health market exceeds $220 billion annually.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
613

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Idaho
      • Boise, Idaho, United States, 83725-1135
        • Boise State University
    • Mississippi
      • University, Mississippi, United States, 38677-1848
        • University of Mississippi

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

11 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria for Students:

  • being enrolled in grades 6, 7, or 8 in a middle/junior high school in Idaho, Oregon, Mississippi, or New Hampshire.
  • being selected by school counselors and teachers for having a desire to make a positive difference at school, be mature, and have the ability to positively engage with peers and adults (Aims 1 and 2).
  • speaks and reads English or Spanish.
  • parent consents and student assents for participation.

Exclusion Criteria for Students:

  • participated in a previous study on STAC.
  • speaks and reads only a language other than English or Spanish.
  • does not consent and/or assent for participation.

Inclusion Criteria for School Personnel:

  • employed in a middle/junior high school in Idaho or Mississippi with grades 6, 7, or 8.
  • employed as a principal, teacher, or school counselor.
  • speaks and reads English or Spanish.
  • consents to participate.

Exclusion Criteria for School Personnel:

  • participated in a previous study on STAC.
  • speaks and reads only a language other than English or Spanish.
  • does not consent for participation.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: STAC-T
STAC-T is a brief technology-based bullying bystander intervention using four strategies: "Stealing the show," "Turning it over," "Accompanying others," and "Coaching compassion." The online curriculum is delivered to middle-school students.
Behavioral: STAC-T
Middle school participants will complete online modules to learn about anti-bullying techniques and bystander intervention.
No Intervention: Assessment Only Control

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Student-Advocates Pre- and Post-Scale (SAPPS)
Time Frame: Baseline assessment, 30-day assessment
An 11 item questionnaire measuring students' knowledge of buying, knowledge of the STAC-T strategies, and students' confidence to intervene in bullying situations. Items are rated on a 4-point Likert Scale ranging from 1 (Totally Disagree) to 4 (Totally Agree) and were summed to compute a total scale score. The minimum value is 11 and the maximum value is 44, and a higher score means a better outcome.
Baseline assessment, 30-day assessment
Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents (BCS-A) - Victimization Scale at 30 Days
Time Frame: Baseline assessment, 30-day assessment
This questionnaire measures bullying and cyberbullying victimization in the past 30 days. The 13-item Victimization Scale assesses in-person bullying victimization with 8 items and cyberbullying victimization with 5 items. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert Scale ranging from 0 (Never) to 4 (Four or More Times) and were summed to compute a total scale score. The minimum value is 0 and the maximum value is 52, and a higher score means a worse outcome.
Baseline assessment, 30-day assessment
Use of Strategies at 30 Days Post-intervention
Time Frame: 30-day assessment
Questions rating the student's use of each STAC-T strategy using a single item rated on a 5-point Likert scale: "How often would you say you have used these strategies to stop bullying in the past month?" (a) Stealing the Show; (b) Turning it Over; (c) Accompanying Others; and (d) Coaching Compassion. Total strategies reflects the number of students who used at least one of the four STAC-T strategies. Results are reported for students who reported witnessing bullying in the past 30-days (n=125/229).
30-day assessment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children
Time Frame: Baseline assessment, 6-week assessment
The 20-item CES-DC measures depressive symptoms in children on a four-point Likert Scale. The minimum value is 0 and the maximum value is 60, and a higher score means a worse outcome.
Baseline assessment, 6-week assessment
The Social Avoidance and Distress Scale - General and Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale in the condition Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A)
Time Frame: Baseline assessment, 6-week assessment
The 18-item Social Avoidance and Distress Scale - General and Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale will measure anxiety. The minimum value is 0 and the maximum value is 72, and a higher score means a worse outcome.
Baseline assessment, 6-week assessment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Klein Buendel, Inc.

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Boise State University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Mary Buller, MA, Klein Buendel, Inc.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 26, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 18, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
November 18, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 20, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 6, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 7, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 24, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 19, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 0337
  • 5R42MD014943 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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