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GXC 2025 Online Virtual Conference - Mental Health Without Borders

The Prevalence of Bullying Victimisation and its Impact on Mental Health Outcomes

René Veenstra, Ph.D
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Date & Time

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Identify the social network dynamics that contribute to bullying behaviors and victim isolation in school environments.

  • Explain how peer influence and group structures impact the development and persistence of bullying and mental health outcomes among youth.

  • Distinguish between individual-based and peer-led interventions, with a specific focus on the evidence-based outcomes of the KiVa Anti-Bullying Program.

  • Apply principles from longitudinal studies (e.g., TRAILS) to understand how early peer victimization can predict longer-term psychological distress and social exclusion.

Educational Goal

Participants will deepen their understanding of how social network dynamics influence bullying behaviors and mental health outcomes in youth. This session aims to enhance clinical and educational strategies by equipping professionals with evidence-based insights on peer-led interventions and group-based approaches to reduce victimization and promote mental well-being.

Description

Bullying affects approximately one in ten people, often leaving lasting marks on mental well-being—manifesting in loneliness, anxiety, and depression. During this presentation, Professor René Veenstra—renowned sociologist and expert in peer dynamics—draws from decades of social network research to unpack the hidden architecture of bullying in adolescent groups. Through real-world examples and evidence from longitudinal studies such as TRAILS and interventions like the KiVa Anti-Bullying Program, this session explores why people bully, the social mechanisms that sustain it, and how schools and educators can create environments where prosocial behavior can thrive.


This session will emphasize peer influence, bystander roles, and the power of strategic, network-informed interventions. Grounded in rigorous data and theory, it’s designed for practitioners seeking actionable insights to shift group dynamics, support victims, and reduce mental health harm.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Nurse
  • Physician
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

René Veenstra, Ph.D
René Veenstra (1969), Ph.D., is a Full Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Groningen, and a board member of the Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS), the Netherlands. His work focuses on the theoretical and empirical elaboration of a social network approach to bullying and victimization and pro- and antisocial behavior. Funding Veenstra has been the Principal Investigator of a personal NWO VICI grant (2015-2021), a fundamental research grant from NWO-PROO on Social networks processes and social development of children and adolescents (2013-2019), and a grant from the Ministry of Education (Onderwijs Bewijs Actieprogramma II) to implement and evaluate the KiVa Antibullying Program in the Netherlands (2010-2015). He is a member of the steering committee of GUTS (Growing Up Together in Society), funded by the Ministry of Science with 22 million euros. This 10-year program (2023-2032) has the ambition to examine optimal opportunities for young people, both for themselves and for the present and future society. His grant total is > 6M€ as PI (plus 30M€ as Co-PI). Ph.D. Supervision Of his Ph.D. students, 27 have successfully completed their dissertations and 10 are in progress. His former Ph.D. students and postdocs have found academic positions and are at the forefront of their fields, as evidenced by the acceptance of their papers in high-impact journals, the grants they have successfully applied for (ERC Consolidator, ERC Starting, VENI, Marie Curie, Rubicon), and the awards they have received (ISSBD Young Scientist Award, NSV Dissertation Prize, Praemium Erasmianum, EARA Young Scholar Award, Alberti Center Early Career Award). More about Ph.D. projects. Data Collection He has a strong track record in data collection. He was data manager (2000-2005) and is now a member of the management team of the longitudinal TRAILS project, which follows a cohort of preadolescents (born around 1990) into adulthood. He received three NWO Investment Medium grants for TRAILS. To date, eight waves of TRAILS have been completed. Another large data collection project that he led was the KiVa project, in which 10.000 children in 400 classes in 100 schools completed online questionnaires. He also contributed to the SNARE, PEAR, and PRIMS data collections. Honors He is an elected member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities and an elected fellow of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development. He was a visiting professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Turku, Finland (2007-2012). He is Associate Editor of Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: A Peer Relations Journal (2025-now). He previously served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Research on Adolescence (2010-2016). He was the Research Director of the Department of Sociology and the Director of the ICS (2014-2023).

Financially Sponsored By

  • GXC Events - The Global Exchange Conference