Unequally Safe: Association Between Bullying and Perceived School Safety and the Moderating Effects of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Grade Level

Abstract

Guided by the social–ecological, social identity, and social misfit theories, the present study examined the gender, racial/ethnic, and grade-level differences of students’ perceived school safety and their associations with bullying victimization and school-wide bullying using a sample of 25,896 students from 114 public schools. Results of hierarchical linear regression modeling suggested that the negative association between individual-level bullying victimization and perceived school safety was stronger among White than Black students, and stronger among middle school than high school students. The negative association between school-wide bullying and perceived school safety was stronger in middle schools than in elementary schools. The perception of school safety also varied across racial/ethnic groups. The findings highlight the ecological influences of school-wide bullying and bullying victimization on student school safety perception. They also highlight the importance of understanding students’ perceptions of racial/ethnic identity, membership, and social status in schools when developing interventions that promote school safety. Impact Statement The findings highlight the ecological influences of school-wide bullying and bullying victimization on school safety at both the student and school levels. They also highlight the importance of understanding students’ normative perceptions of racial/ethnic identity, membership, and social status in schools when developing racially/ethnically responsive and grade-level specific strategies that promote school safety and alleviate the negative influences of bullying on students’ perceived school safety. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2020.1860427