School violence and bullying among sexual minority high school students

Background: Gay or lesbian and bisexual (sexual minority) high school students are often victims of school violence and bullying. Purpose: Quantify the risk of school violence and bullying among sexual minority students compared to non-sexual minority students. Significance: This study is one of the first to use large, population-based samples of students to identify the association between sexual identity and school violence and bullying. Methodology: Data from 10 state and 10 local Youth Risk Behavior Surveys conducted in 2009 and 2011 were combined to form a large sample of high school students (n=116,149). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between six school violence or bullying variables and sexual minority status, controlling for sex, grade, and race/ethnicity. Findings/Results: Overall, sexual minority students had higher odds than non-sexual minority students of having been injured in a fight (AOR, 95%CI: 3.6, 2.8-4.5), having carried a weapon on school property (3.4, 2.9-4.1), having been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property (3.1, 2.7-3.5), having not gone to school because of safety concerns (2.4, 2.1-2.8), having been bullied on school property (2.4, 2.2-2.6), and having been in a physical fight on school property (2.4, 2.1-2.7). Analyses stratified by sex and race/ethnicity showed similar patterns. Conclusions/Recommendations: Sexual minority students are more likely to experience school violence and bullying than non-sexual minority students. To avoid these types of victimization, effective policies and programs to curb bullying and violence and create safe environments should be implemented.