Electronic and School Bullying Victimization by Race/Ethnicity and Sexual Minority Status in a Nationally Representative Adolescent Sample

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to examine the prevalence of electronic and school bullying victimization in sexual and racial/ethnic minorities in a nationally representative U.S. sample of high school students. MethodsCross-sectional data from the 2015 and 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2015, n = 15,624; 2017, n = 14,765) were analyzed using logistic regression. ResultsApproximately 15% of the sample reported electronic bullying victimization and 20% reported school bullying victimization. Sexual minority youth were significantly more likely to report both types of bullying than their heterosexual peers, whereas black and Latinx students were significantly less likely to report both types. White students who identified as gay/lesbian or bisexual were more likely to report both types of bullying than white, heterosexual youth. Very few changes were observed in electronic or school bullying victimization from 2015 to 2017, although there was a statistically significant decrease in school bullying among white, heterosexual youth. ConclusionsA sizeable number of adolescents experience electronic and school bullying. Sexual minority and white adolescents report a higher prevalence of these phenomena. This may have implications for designing bullying prevention strategies that target sexual minority adolescents to reduce their risk for victimization both online and in school.