This study aimed to analyze if a middle school universal social and emotional learning program had different or similar impacts upon students involved in different bullying roles (victim, bully, bully-victim or non-involved.


The participants in this study were 992 middle school students (Mage = 13.12; 51% girls), of which 337 composed the control group. The Positive Attitude middle school SEL program is composed by 13 weekly sessions and it was applied during two consecutive school years. Assessment by students and their teachers (n = 54) was implemented in the beginning and end of the program and in a follow-up six months later.


Multilevel analysis were performed and both self and teacher-reports showed more gains in self-control and self-esteem from the intervention for students who were victimized when compared with all other groups. Additionally, according to self-reports students who reported to be bully-victims also reported more gains in relationship skills than non-involved students. However, most of the differential gains had dissipated in the follow-up assessment.


Given the results it is possible to concluded that the SEL program had a differential impact upon students involved in different bullying roles.