Abstract
Peer victimization at school is a pressing public health issue. Peer victimization has a deleterious impact on the victim and can lead to lifelong negative outcomes such as depression. The purpose of the present study is to examine peer victimization and potential individual, school, and peer correlates in a national sample of middle and high school students. A secondary data analysis of the School Crime and Safety survey was conducted to investigate study aims. Greater than one in 20 (7.2%) of students reported peer victimization at school. Multiple individual factors were found to increase the odds of victimization including grade level, grades received, and school avoidance among other variables. School and peer factors were also found to be significant. Study findings may be useful to school personnel for reducing peer victimization at school. Specific recommendations for school personnel are offered.
Highlights
Peer victimization at school is a significant health and educational issue
Among the households that participated in the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), there were 9372 individuals ages 12–18 who were eligible to complete the School Crime Supplement (SCS) in 2015
42.1% were in middle school and 57.9% were in high school
Summary
Peer victimization at school is a significant health and educational issue. Peer victimization may include physical, verbal, or psychological harassment or abuse and may contribute to mental and physical health consequences [1,2]. Healthy People 2020 objectives include reducing school-based victimization for adolescents to less than 17.9% of all youth [3]. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 5 youth report experiencing some type of victimization at school [4]. It appears additional research is warranted to understand the factors that contribute to peer victimization. The Healthy People 2020 objectives can potentially be met by translating research into initiatives aimed at reducing victimization at school
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