Transgender Identity and Bullying Victimization Among Indiana High School Students

Background and Purpose: Middle- and high school students are the most frequent victims of bullying, which is any repetitive and unwanted behavior that causes harm or discomfort to an individual. The literature indicates that LGBTQIA+ youth are at higher risk of being bullied than their non-LGBTQIA+ peers. Given the serious consequences of bullying—including poor mental health outcomes and suicide—it is crucial to investigate and address the factors that contribute to bullying among this vulnerable population.

In Indiana, legislation and rhetoric targeting transgender people are prominent from community members to policymakers. Preliminary studies suggest a positive correlation between anti-transgender legislation and rhetoric and the incidence of bias-motivated harassment and violence. Therefore, the research investigates: Does transgender identity significantly predict bullying victimization among Indiana high school students?

Methods: The data was collected from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) published online by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The combined high school data from the state of Indiana in 2023 was extracted (n=1,043).

The independent variable, transgender identity (TI), was measured with the question, “Some people describe themselves as transgender when their sex at birth does not match the way they think or feel about their gender. Are you transgender?” (1=Not Transgender, 2=Transgender, and 3=Not sure).

The dependent variable(s), bullying at school (BAS) and cyberbullying (CB), were measured with the questions, “During the past 12-months, have you been bullied on school property?” and “During the past 12 months, have you ever been electronically bullied?” (1=Yes, 2=No). The covariates included age, race, BMI, and sexuality.

Results: A complex survey design approach was applied to account for sampling weights and ensure valid population-level estimates. Among students who reported their gender identity (n=924), only 3.0% identified as transgender. 93.9% identified as not transgender. 21.5% of all students reported experiencing BAS (n=223), and 20.7% reported CB (n=208), indicating that about 1 in 5 Indiana high school students experience bullying.

TI was not a significant predictor of BAS in the logistic regression model (Wald F = 33.419, p < .001). However, among the covariates, race, BMI, and age were significant predictors of BAS (Ps <0.05). TI, race, and BMI were not predictors of CB, but age and sexuality did significantly predict CB (Ps <0.05). The overall logistic regression model was significant (Wald F = 30.232, p < .001).

Conclusions and Implications: The results indicate that transgender identity does not significantly predict experiences of bullying at school or electronically. The lack of a significant relationship may be attributed to the small number of transgender youths in the sample (n=33), increasing the likelihood of a Type II error. However, the analysis revealed that bullying is a problem facing Indiana youth and is significantly predicted by other minority identities. Considering the long-term consequences of bullying and other minority stressors, future research should further investigate the intersection of these experiences for LGBTQIA+ adolescents. Social workers should also consider how the sociopolitical context influences adolescents’ attitudes and behaviors toward vulnerable populations, thereby perpetuating social injustice.