The Effect of Nurse-Led Social Emotional Learning Program on Adolescents' Bullying, Victimization, and Bystander Behaviors

School violence is observed at all levels of education, but it is particularly prominent during middle school, which coincides with early adolescence. While violence tends to increase in primary school and decrease in higher grades of high school, no significant differences are observed between grade levels in middle school. Bullying has multiple negative consequences: for perpetrators, it is associated with suicide, weapon carrying, substance use disorders, and a tendency toward violence and criminal behavior in adulthood; for victims, it is linked to low self-esteem, anxiety disorders, and suicide. Due to these multifaceted negative effects, bullying prevention programs must be implemented as public health interventions. This study aims to evaluate the effect of a nurse-led, social emotional learning (SEL)-based education program on bullying, victimization, and bystander behaviors among adolescents attending grades 6, 7, and 8 in middle schools. Unlike many previous studies, this program not only seeks to reduce bullying and victimization but also aims to enhance bystander intervention. Furthermore, the intervention will be uniquely delivered by a nurse with a focus on fostering social emotional skills.This randomized controlled trial will be conducted between October 2025 and June 2026 in two public middle schools located in the Ümraniye district of Istanbul, Türkiye. The study will follow a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up test design with intervention and control groups. Randomization will be applied to ensure comparability, and participants with similar pre-test characteristics will be assigned to either group. The intervention group will receive the SEL-based training program, while the control group will continue with routine education. Post-tests will be conducted three months after the intervention, and follow-up assessments will be carried out at six months. Data will be collected in classrooms through face-to-face self-report surveys. Instruments include the Personal Information Form, Bullying Victimization Self-Efficacy Scale, Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale for Adolescents, Bystander Intervention in Bullying Scale, and Social Emotional Learning Skills Scale.Data entry will be performed electronically, and statistical analyses will be conducted using Jamovi. Tests appropriate for normal distribution will be used. A significance level of p < 0.05 will be considered statistically significant.