Bullying and Peer Victimization of Minority Youth: Intersections of Sexual Identity and Race/Ethnicity.
Kasey Jackman, Elizabeth J Kreuze, Billy A Caceres and 1 others
PMID 32128824WHAT IT FOUND
Sexual minority youth reported higher odds of all forms of bullying and peer victimization compared to heterosexual peers.
Bisexual girls showed consistently higher risk across all bullying types within their racial groups, while sexual minority boys faced elevated risks regardless of race.
Key findings
01All groups of sexual minority boys and girls reported higher odds of all forms of bullying and peer victimization compared to their heterosexual counterparts.
02Among girls, bisexual girls reported higher rates of all the bullying and peer victimization variables examined compared to heterosexual girls of the same race/ethnicity.
03Black and Hispanic boys had higher odds of being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property compared to White boys.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design means causality cannot be inferred; it is unclear if minority status leads to victimization or vice versa. The study used single-item questions to assess bullying, which may lead to underreporting, particularly among Black students who might interpret the questions differently than White students. Data was limited to large urban school districts, so findings may not apply to rural or suburban settings. The survey did not collect data on gender minority status (e.g., transgender, nonbinary) or other protective factors like socioeconomic status or family support.
Declared interests
All authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that lower reported bullying rates among racial/ethnic minority boys compared to White boys mean they are safer. The study notes this may be due to underreporting from single-item survey questions, and these same groups had higher odds of being threatened with a weapon.