Introduction to the Special Issue on Significance of Race/Ethnicity in Bullying

Does School Composition Moderate the Longitudinal Association Between Social Status Insecurity and Aggression Among Latinx Adolescents? Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in social status insecurity and self-reported relational and overt aggression based on the ethnic context of the schools, and how ethnic context moderates the associations between social status insecurity and self-reported relational and overt aggression. Participants were 405 Latinx adolescents (53% girls; M = 14.51, SD = .58). Adolescents were from one of two schools in which they were either the majority (84% Latinx population; n = 203) or the minority (10% Latinx population; n = 202). They completed questionnaires on social status insecurity and self-reported relational and overt aggression at time 1 (in 7th grade) and self-reported relational and overt aggression at time 2 (1 year later in 8th grade). The findings revealed that minority adolescents reported higher levels of social status insecurity and self-reported relational aggression at time 1 and time 2. The association between social status insecurity and time 2 self-reported relational aggression was more positive for minority adolescents. Majority adolescent status did not influence this association.

Bullying Victimization Among Asian-American Youth: a Review of the Literature Abstract Bullying is a significant public health and social problem in the United States. As a fast-growing immigrant population, Asian-American youth are being bullied at school, yet little is known about their experience in bullying victimization. Thus, the purpose of this article is to review current findings regarding bullying victimization among Asian-American youth. A review of the literature was conducted. Twenty-three articles that met the inclusion criteria were included in the present review. The research team identified six themes including the prevalence of bullying victimization; impacts of bullying victimization; risk factors of being bullied; reporting on bullying incidents; coping strategies of parents, teachers, and schools; and current efforts to address bullying victimization. Studies indicate that 5–50% of Asian-American youth are bullied, which tends to be lower than the rates in white students, African-American students, and Hispanic students. However, bullying victimization is associated with adverse mental health and academic performance in Asian-American youth. The included studies examine individual, family, peer, school, and community factors that are related to being bullied in this population. Research also shows that only about 33% of Asian-American youth victims notify an adult after the bullying incidents. Recommendations for bullying prevention among this population are discussed.

Cross-national Differences in Bullying Dynamics: Comparing Latinx Youths’ Experiences in Mexico and the USA Abstract Although bullying is increasingly researched in the USA, there remains a limited study of bullying among Mexican youth. To address this gap, the present study compared bullying dynamics across the two countries, with a specific focus on Latinx youth in the US and Mexican youth. Data come from a large school-based survey of 3030 US self-identified as Latinx/Hispanic and 2211 Mexican adolescents. The survey utilized the US-derived term “bullying” for the definition-based questions with the definitions and behaviors translated into the local Mexican Spanish dialect. Logistic regression results indicated that the prevalence of youth who bully is similar; however, more Mexican youth reported being a victim while more US Latinx youth reported witnessing bullying. US Latinx youths’ responses to bullying reflect behaviors emphasized in bullying prevention programs whereas Mexican youth reported more retaliatory responses. This study informs our understanding of similarities and differences in bullying dynamics across contexts, which is critical to informing intervention development and adaptation to target locally relevant bullying behaviors.

Examining Classes of Bully Perpetration among Latinx High School Students and Associations with Substance Use and Mental Health Abstract Latino(a) (also called “Latinx”) are the fastest growing ethnic population in the U.S.; however, there is a dearth of literature that examines intracultural bullying behaviors and their association with mental health and substance use for this population. The current study uses a person-centered approach to examine bully perpetration among Latinx high school students and association with substance use and mental health. Latent Class Analysis was used to identify classes of bullying perpetration among a sample of Latinx adolescents drawn from 9 Colorado high schools (n = 2929). Age and sex were used as predictors to examine differences between classes. Identified bullying classes were then related to mental health (i.e., depression and suicide ideation) and perceptions of future substance use. The latent class analysis identified five classes that included a high bully perpetration class (4.5%, n = 133), a moderate class (13.8%, n = 405), a class that reported high rates of teasing behaviors (13.5%, n = 396), a class that reported high rates of cyberbullying perpetration (7.3%, n = 215), and a low bully perpetration class (60.90%, n = 1780). Females reported lower odds of being in the High and Teasing classes compared to males. Further, the High and Cyberbullying perpetration classes reported the highest rates of depression, suicide ideation, and perception of future substance use compared to other classes. Understanding the risk profile of students who engage in bullying perpetration is essential in creating useful and appropriate resources and interventions. Inclusive efforts are needed to create more effective prevention programs that attend to the growing ethnic diversity among U.S. students.

Exploring Physical, Nonphysical, and Discrimination-Based Victimization among Transgender Youth in California Public Schools Abstract Research has shown elevated rates of peer victimization among transgender youth in schools, placing them at risk of an array of negative social and psychological outcomes well into adulthood. We conducted a secondary analysis of the 2015–2016 California Healthy Kids Survey to examine rates of physical victimization (physical acts such as being pushed or shoved) and nonphysical victimization (nonphysical acts such as having mean rumors spread about them) and discriminatory peer bullying (any act of bullying based on gender, perceived lesbian or gay identity, and race) among transgender and nontransgender youth. In addition, this study explored the intersection of race and transgender identity and associations with victimization. Chi-square tests and logistic regression results indicated that transgender youth reported significantly higher rates of physical and nonphysical victimization and discriminatory peer bullying than nontransgender peers. Logistic regression results also revealed that disparities in race-based discriminatory peer bullying between transgender and nontransgender youth were greater among Latinx students than White students. The study’s findings illustrate the need for schools to create affirming environments for racially diverse transgender youth.

When Twitter Fingers Turn to Trigger Fingers: a Qualitative Study of Social Media-Related Gang Violence Abstract Mounting evidence suggests that social media can exacerbate tensions among gangs that ultimately lead to violence, but serious questions remain about precisely how conflict online translates to conflict offline. The purpose of this study is to examine the ways in which gang violence can be mediated by the Internet. We conducted a sociolinguistic study with 17 Black males between the ages of 14–24 who self-identified at the time of the study as having current or former gang involvement to determine how online provocations may generate offline violence. We examine the sociolinguistic patterns of two prominent gangs on Chicago’s South Side and use qualitative interviews and a vignette methodology to gather in-depth information into the nature of Internet-mediated gang violence from multiple perspectives. We identified three forms of social media communication that were interpreted as threating by participants: dissing, calling, and direct threats. We developed a framework for understanding participant responses to tweets and the potential for violence that is a consequence of such posts. Lastly, we highlight racial decoding and importance of context when interpreting the social media communication of Black and Latino youth. This study has important implications for the prevention of gang violence that is amplified by social media communication. Findings can be used to initiate conversations between researchers and practitioners regarding the role of social media for prevention and the ethical use of such tools, particularly for marginalized populations.

High School Bullying and Mental Disorder: an Examination of the Association with Flourishing and Emotional Regulation Abstract Bullying behaviours are shown to be associated with symptoms of affective disorder; however, there is limited evidence of these associations in a Canadian high school context. We sought to examine the relationship between psychosocial characteristics of high school youth, their bullying involvement, and their self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. Logistic regression was conducted using data from year 5 of the COMPASS Study, a large behavioural health survey of Canadian students in grades 9 to 12. Data were used from 6,585 students who participated in a pilot test introducing a new Mental Health-Module (MH-M). One third of students in our sample reported clinically-relevant symptoms of anxiety, and over 40% reported symptoms of depression. Approximately 20% of students reported involvement in bullying as victims, perpetrators, or victim-perpetrators. Overall, being involved in bullying as a victim or victim-perpetrator was associated with increased likelihood of anxiety and depression, but this was not observed for perpetration. Measures of mental wellbeing and emotional regulation skills were also significantly associated with clinically relevant symptoms of anxiety and depression among students in our sample, and were shown to partially mediate the relationship between bullying and mental disorder. Further research is needed to investigate the protective effects of positive mental wellbeing and socio-emotional skills on mental disorder, within high school bullying contexts. School-based prevention efforts that aim to foster emotional intelligence and improve flourishing among youth may be most effective in addressing the psychological burdens of bullying involvement.

An Evaluation of the KiVa Anti-bullying Program in New Zealand Abstract This paper describes the introduction of the KiVa anti-bullying program in New Zealand. KiVa is a whole-school program developed in Finland that includes both indicated and universal actions for children aged 7 to 15 years. The program focuses on the group context and seeks to alter the peer group culture by motivating bystanders to take action. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests it is successful in reducing bullying and victimization in a range of countries outside its country of origin. However, its impact in countries with a particularly heterogenous population such as New Zealand is yet to be determined. This paper presents data after one year of implementation in 7 New Zealand schools. The sample included 1175 students from Years 2–6 (~ 6 to 10 years). The students completed an anonymous online survey prior to the implementation of the program and again after one year. Significant reductions were reported after KiVa implementation in self-reported rates of bullying and victimization as well as a reduction in experiences of being bullied via the internet. These reductions however varied by gender and year level in that KiVa had a more significant effect on most girls and young boys. In addition, there was a significant increase in the number of children feeling safer at school. Given the heterogeneity of the sample, these early results are promising, but the gender differences also highlight the need for further evaluations and investigations regarding the implementation of KiVa in New Zealand.

Cost-benefit Analysis of the KiVa Anti-bullying Program in the Netherlands Abstract This study performs a cost-benefit analysis of the implementation of the KiVa anti-bullying program in the Netherlands. Specifically, it addressed whether the expected benefits of KiVa for victims in terms of lifetime income are greater than the costs that are made for implementing the program. The KiVa intervention was examined in a randomized controlled trial in the Netherlands in 2012–2014 in 98 Dutch primary schools (target grades US-level 3–4, 8 to 9 years old). A model-based approach was applied to the effects for the expected income for prevented victims, which is a long-term outcome that can be quantified. The estimated costs and benefits of implementing KiVa were used to estimate the return-on-investment (ROI) that indicated the expected benefits per euro invested. Investing in KiVa in the Netherlands generated an ROI of €4.04–€6.72, indicating that it is good value for money to invest in KiVa. The chosen estimates in this study were deemed conservative; on the cost side, it was assumed that schools maximally implement KiVa (thus, maximum costs), and on the benefit side, only the expected income effect for victims was included to the model. Quantifying and incorporating other outcomes (i.e., depression, anxiety, psychiatric problems, not only for victims but also for bullies, bystanders, parents, teachers) may further increase the ROI for this intervention.