Trends in School-Related Victimization of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youths-Massachusetts, 1995-2015.

Abstract

To compare changes over time in prevalence of school victimization among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students compared with heterosexual students. We analyzed data from 11 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys conducted among representative samples of students in grades 9 through 12 in Massachusetts during 1995 to 2015. We used multivariable logistic regression models to identify trends over time by sexual identity. During 1995 to 2015, the prevalence of missing school decreased overall (from 5.6% to 4.8%) and among heterosexual (from 4.3% to 3.8%) and LGB (from 25.0% to 13.4%) students. The prevalence of having been threatened decreased overall (from 7.8% to 4.1%) and among heterosexual (from 6.5% to 3.5%) and LGB (from 32.9% to 6.7%) students. We identified evidence of a significant decrease in victimization among all students regardless of sexual identity and a steep decline among LGB students. Additional actions to improve school climate may help eliminate the disparities and decrease victimization for all youths.