Bullying Trends in the US By Race and Ethnicity: A Meta-Regression

Background and Purpose. Bullying is public health issue impacting youth around the globe, yet it does not impact all youth equally. In the United States (US), much of the research on bullying has focused on White youth and their experiences, while failing to explore the experiences of Black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous, multi-racial, and other people of color (POC). The current meta-analysis aims to examine bullying victimization by race/ethnicity over time from 2009 to 2022. The study highlights overall trends by race/ethnicity in the US. In addition to examining intersectional identities (race by gender and age), we explore the role of select study level differences.

Methods. We combined an existing meta-analysis database with a systematic search of three major academic databases (PsychINFO, ERIC, Masterfile Premier), we found 87 studies published between 2009 and 2022 that provided outcomes of US-based rates of youth traditional- and cyber-bullying victimization by race/ethnicity. Analysis used random effects meta-regressions with a restricted maximum likelihood estimator. Moderator analyses were also conducted.

Results. Findings indicate differences in bullying victimization by race, gender, and age over time (2009-2021). For traditional bullying among middle schoolers, we found that rates are on the rise for Hispanic (43% to 49%) and Black girls (35% to 44%). While rates among Asian, White, and Multi-racial boys appear to be dropping. We saw a similar pattern among high schoolers, with significantly rising trends for White and Black girls, and significantly declining trends for Black, Hispanic, and White boys.

For cyberbullying, we saw no declining trends over time (2011-2021), only stable and increasing trends. Among middle schoolers, cyberbullying increased for Black, White, and Hispanic boys, with Black boys reporting the largest increase (6% to 16%). For girls, we saw an increase for Black girls (13% to 22%). Among high schoolers, we saw increasing trends for Black (7% to 10%) and White boys (9% to 12%).

Moderator analyses were conducted for select study level features. These analyses indicated that the election of Donald Trump is associated with an increase in bullying victimization among Black youth.

Conclusions and Implications. The findings of this study highlight important differences in cyber and traditional bullying victimization by race/ethnicity, and how race interacts with gender and grade. Bullying prevention cannot be a one size fits all model: school-based bullying prevention needs to account for the diversity of the student body. For Black youth, the findings suggest that bullying victimization might be elevated following the election of Trump. This means that schools need to examine how to provide support and resources to Black students related to bias-based bullying, as well as provide education for other students on bias-based bullying. The findings regarding cyberbullying victimization indicate that cyberbullying is still a critical and growing issue. Digital literacy and online safety needs to be incorporated into school programming, not just as part of a bullying prevention. Youth need to be taught how to cultivate empathy for others in online spaces, and what actions to take if they experience cyberbullying.