Anti-Bullying Interventions for Secondary School Adolescents in India: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis

School is essential for learning and development, but bullying occurs frequently in schools, impacting a significant number of students. Preventing bullying on school premises enables healthy school environments to promote emotional well-being among adolescents. This systematic review focuses on exploring, identifying, and critically appraising various types of school-based antibullying interventions implemented in Indian high schools. The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022337327). A comprehensive literature search covered databases such as EBSCO Host (Psychology and behavioral sciences collection), PubMed, PsycINFO, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global: The Humanities and Social Sciences Collection, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, ERIC, and Shodhganga. The review includes randomized controlled trials, pilot and feasibility studies, quasi-experimental studies, pre-posttest studies, descriptive and explorative/qualitative studies published in peer-reviewed journals, and gray literature published between January 2000 and April 2023. The main outcome of the current review was the reduction in bullying practices on school premises, with the additional outcome of an improvement in the school climate. Two reviewers identified and screened a total of 273 studies. Twenty studies were selected for full-text screening after title and abstract screening, and six studies were included in this review. The intervention programs reviewed among the included studies demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing bullying, although the effect sizes varied, with some interventions showing substantial effects and others showing moderate or marginal effects. The implementation of a whole-school approach, such as engaging teachers, non-teaching staff, students, parents, and the school development committee through targeted workshops and small educational modules related to bullying prevention, is more effective in reducing bullying and promoting a safe and supportive learning environment.