TY - JOUR
T1 - Bullying and quality of life in youths perceived as gay, lesbian, or bisexual in Washington state, 2010
AU - Patrick, Donald L.
AU - Bell, Janice F
AU - Huang, Jon Y.
AU - Lazarakis, Nicholas C.
AU - Edwards, Todd C.
PY - 2013/7
Y1 - 2013/7
N2 - Objectives. We examined the association between perceived sexual orientation (PSO), bullying, and quality of life (QOL) among US adolescents. Methods. We analyzed data from the 2010 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey collected in public school grades 8, 10, and 12 (n = 27 752). Bullying status was characterized as never bullied, bullied because of PSO, or bullied for other reasons. Survey-weighted regression examined differences in QOL, depressed mood, and consideration of suicide by bullying status. Results. Among male students, 14%, 11%, and 9% reported being bullied because of PSO in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades, respectively; and among female students, 11%, 10%, and 6%. In all gender and grade strata, being bullied because of PSO was associated with lower QOL scores and increased the odds of depressed mood or consideration of suicide. Moreover, the magnitudes of these associations were greater than for being bullied for other reasons. Conclusions. Bullying because of PSO is widely prevalent and significantly affects several facets of youth QOL. Bully-prevention or harm-reduction programs must address bullying because of PSO.
AB - Objectives. We examined the association between perceived sexual orientation (PSO), bullying, and quality of life (QOL) among US adolescents. Methods. We analyzed data from the 2010 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey collected in public school grades 8, 10, and 12 (n = 27 752). Bullying status was characterized as never bullied, bullied because of PSO, or bullied for other reasons. Survey-weighted regression examined differences in QOL, depressed mood, and consideration of suicide by bullying status. Results. Among male students, 14%, 11%, and 9% reported being bullied because of PSO in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades, respectively; and among female students, 11%, 10%, and 6%. In all gender and grade strata, being bullied because of PSO was associated with lower QOL scores and increased the odds of depressed mood or consideration of suicide. Moreover, the magnitudes of these associations were greater than for being bullied for other reasons. Conclusions. Bullying because of PSO is widely prevalent and significantly affects several facets of youth QOL. Bully-prevention or harm-reduction programs must address bullying because of PSO.
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U2 - 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301101
DO - 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301101
M3 - Article
C2 - 23678925
AN - SCOPUS:84879010897
VL - 103
SP - 1255
EP - 1261
JO - American Journal of Public Health
JF - American Journal of Public Health
SN - 0090-0036
IS - 7
ER -