Bullying, cyberbullying, and sexual orientation minority youths: increased prevalence and mental health implications
Sexual diversity has been associated with experiences of discrimination that adversely impact mental health, with sexual minority youth at higher risk of bullying and cyberbullying. However, existing research often uses non-representative samples, lacks focus on bullying roles, and inconsistently ex...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Adolescence and Youth |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2025.2495878 |
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| author | Alicia Pérez-Albéniz Beatriz Lucas-Molina Andrea Gutiérrez Laura Berges Javier Ortuño-Sierra Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero |
| author_facet | Alicia Pérez-Albéniz Beatriz Lucas-Molina Andrea Gutiérrez Laura Berges Javier Ortuño-Sierra Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero |
| author_sort | Alicia Pérez-Albéniz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sexual diversity has been associated with experiences of discrimination that adversely impact mental health, with sexual minority youth at higher risk of bullying and cyberbullying. However, existing research often uses non-representative samples, lacks focus on bullying roles, and inconsistently examines different mental health indicators. This study addresses these issues by investigating whether non-heteronormative sexual orientation is associated with higher risks of bullying and cyberbullying, and analysing the relationship between being a victim or perpetrator and several mental health indicators (depression, suicidal behaviour, emotional and behavioural problems) in a representative adolescent sample. Participants were 1,972 students: 1,520 identified as heterosexual and 259 as non-heterosexual (18 lesbian/gay, 197 bisexual, 44 questioning). Validated self-report questionnaires were used. Non-heterosexual youth were more often victims of bullying. Moreover, non-heterosexual victims and perpetrators of bullying and cyberbullying scored higher on various indicators of mental health difficulties. These findings underscore the need for safe school environments to protect adolescent mental health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a6b0a28dede2447c8cf0f8c1fc7f9b3e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0267-3843 2164-4527 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Adolescence and Youth |
| spelling | doaj-art-a6b0a28dede2447c8cf0f8c1fc7f9b3e2025-08-20T03:30:36ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Adolescence and Youth0267-38432164-45272025-12-0130110.1080/02673843.2025.2495878Bullying, cyberbullying, and sexual orientation minority youths: increased prevalence and mental health implicationsAlicia Pérez-Albéniz0Beatriz Lucas-Molina1Andrea Gutiérrez2Laura Berges3Javier Ortuño-Sierra4Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero5Department of Educational Sciences, University of La Rioja, Logroño, SpainPrograma Riojano de Investigación en Salud Mental (PRISMA), Logroño, SpainDepartment of Educational Sciences, University of La Rioja, Logroño, SpainDepartment of Educational Sciences, University of La Rioja, Logroño, SpainDepartment of Educational Sciences, University of La Rioja, Logroño, SpainDepartment of Educational Sciences, University of La Rioja, Logroño, SpainSexual diversity has been associated with experiences of discrimination that adversely impact mental health, with sexual minority youth at higher risk of bullying and cyberbullying. However, existing research often uses non-representative samples, lacks focus on bullying roles, and inconsistently examines different mental health indicators. This study addresses these issues by investigating whether non-heteronormative sexual orientation is associated with higher risks of bullying and cyberbullying, and analysing the relationship between being a victim or perpetrator and several mental health indicators (depression, suicidal behaviour, emotional and behavioural problems) in a representative adolescent sample. Participants were 1,972 students: 1,520 identified as heterosexual and 259 as non-heterosexual (18 lesbian/gay, 197 bisexual, 44 questioning). Validated self-report questionnaires were used. Non-heterosexual youth were more often victims of bullying. Moreover, non-heterosexual victims and perpetrators of bullying and cyberbullying scored higher on various indicators of mental health difficulties. These findings underscore the need for safe school environments to protect adolescent mental health.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2025.2495878Sexual orientation minority groupsbullyingcyberbullyingprevalencemental health |
| spellingShingle | Alicia Pérez-Albéniz Beatriz Lucas-Molina Andrea Gutiérrez Laura Berges Javier Ortuño-Sierra Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero Bullying, cyberbullying, and sexual orientation minority youths: increased prevalence and mental health implications International Journal of Adolescence and Youth Sexual orientation minority groups bullying cyberbullying prevalence mental health |
| title | Bullying, cyberbullying, and sexual orientation minority youths: increased prevalence and mental health implications |
| title_full | Bullying, cyberbullying, and sexual orientation minority youths: increased prevalence and mental health implications |
| title_fullStr | Bullying, cyberbullying, and sexual orientation minority youths: increased prevalence and mental health implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bullying, cyberbullying, and sexual orientation minority youths: increased prevalence and mental health implications |
| title_short | Bullying, cyberbullying, and sexual orientation minority youths: increased prevalence and mental health implications |
| title_sort | bullying cyberbullying and sexual orientation minority youths increased prevalence and mental health implications |
| topic | Sexual orientation minority groups bullying cyberbullying prevalence mental health |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2025.2495878 |
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