Bullying Victimization and Mattering: An Analysis of Adolescent Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation.

Background/

Objectives

Youth who experience bullying victimization often report lower mattering, the perception of being valued by others; yet this association remains underexplored across intersections of gender and sexual identities.

Methods

Using Spring 2025 data from the Health and Peer Relations Study, we examined whether gender identity and sexual orientation moderated the association between bullying and mattering among Canadian youth in Grades 7-12 (N = 54,181; racially/ethnically diverse = 65.2%, sexually diverse = 14.8%, gender diverse = 3.5%), controlling for grade and race/ethnicity.

Results

After controlling for covariates, the three-way interaction between bullying, gender identity, and sexual orientation was statistically significant (p = 0.042). Bullying was negatively associated with mattering across most groups, and the association was strongest among straight girls, while associations were largely similar across other groups. In contrast, average mattering followed a clear social gradient wherein straight girls and boys reported the highest levels, and sexually and/or gender diverse youth reported the lowest.

Conclusions

Bullying is associated with lower mattering among most youth. However, socially advantaged youth reported stronger associations between bullying and mattering, while socially marginalized youth reported lower mattering regardless of bullying exposure. Findings highlight the importance of addressing youth bullying and underlying drivers of social inequities in mattering.