KiVa is developed by experts who have been studying the phenomenon of bullying and its mechanisms for decades. The team is led by PhD, Professor Christina Salmivalli and PhD, Special Researcher Elisa Poskiparta, both of University of Turku, Finland.
No other antibullying program has been studied as rigorously as KiVa, before and after the extensive implementation in Finland. The program has been shown to reduce both self- and peer-reported bullying and victimization significantly.
The Finnish data showed that after the first year of implementation, the program reduced all forms of bullying significantly. 98 % of the bullied students felt that their situation improved after the intervention. In addition, positive effects on school liking, academic motivation and achievement have been reported. KiVa also reduces anxiety and depression and has a positive impact on students’ perception of their peer climate.
Numerous studies show that KiVa is effective in other countries as well. The Netherlands, Estonia, Italy and Wales are among the regions, where research has been conducted about KiVa, adding to the positive findings about the program.
KiVa program won the European Crime Prevention Award in 2009, Social Policy Award for Best Article in 2012 and four National Awards in Finland in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Read more about various studies on the effectiveness of the KiVa program in English here.