Inequities in Bullying Victimization Among US High School Students in Years 2017, 2019, and 2021: An Intersectional Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy With Random Effects.

PURPOSE: To examine inequities in bullying victimization across sex/gender, sexual identity, race/ethnicity, and obesity status among United States high school students in 2017, 2019, and 2021.

METHODS

Data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System for 342,538 high school students were analyzed. Bullying victimization was defined as any in-school bullying or cyberbullying in the past 12 months. We used an intersectional multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy via logistic regression with random effects, with strata defined by sex/gender, sexual identity, race/ethnicity, and obesity status.

RESULTS

Approximately 24% of students reported bullying victimization, with a higher prevalence in 2017-2019 than in 2021. We found that 5.7% and 6.4% of bullying inequities were explained by intersectional strata in 2017-2019 and 2021, respectively, with sex/gender, sexual identity, race/ethnicity, and obesity status accounting for 85.3% and 87.3% of between-stratum variance in 2017-2019 and 2021, respectively. On average, females, sexual minority students (gay/lesbian, bisexual, or other/questioning), and those classified as obese had greater odds of bullying, whereas Black, Asian, and Hispanic students had lower odds. Deviations from the stratum's observed predicted probabilities or intersectional interaction effects were more common in 2017-2019 than in 2021, with the highest positive deviations observed for heterosexual White girls classified as obese in both years and the highest negative deviations for lesbian Black girls classified as nonobese in 2017-2019 and bisexual White boys classified as obese in 2021.

DISCUSSION: Bullying victimization inequities among United States high school students are shaped by the intersection of sex/gender, sexual identity, race/ethnicity, and obesity status. Universal proportionate intervention with emphasis on intersecting identities at high risk is essential to reduce bullying and its adverse consequences.