Trends in traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization by race and ethnicity in the United States: A meta-regression

Abstract

Bullying is a public health issue impacting youth around the globe, yet it does not impact all youth equally. Using meta-regression, this study examines 14,861 effect sizes from 87 different studies that examine cyber- and traditional bullying victimization by race/ethnicity in the United States. We employed a rigorous systematic search and data extraction process. We examined moderators, such as the region of the study and factors related to survey design, to see how these impacted reported rates and rates over time by race/ethnicity. Overall, trends in rates of traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization vary over time by race, grade, and gender. Specifically, we found that Black youth report among the lowest rates of bullying victimization with rates rising over time, while White and multi-racial youth report among the highest rates of traditional and cyberbullying victimizations over time. The findings highlight important areas of practice and policy, specifically regarding implementing bullying prevention programs and tailoring programs to the needs and diversity of the student body. In addition, the rising or stable trends in cyberbullying victimization across groups indicate an urgent need for more education around digital literacy and online safety and the development of empathy in online interactions.