Bullying and Disability Status: Exploring Involvement Over Time

• In Event: 31.085 - Bullying and Challenging Behaviors Among Individuals With Disabilities

Abstract

Current research suggests that students with disabilities are overrepresented within the bullying dynamic as both perpetrators and victims. Unfortunately, few studies have examined the bullying involvement of students with disabilities over time. Therefore, this study explored the self-reported bullying involvement of 6,531 students with and without disabilities from grades 3 through 12 over a three-year period. Separate linear mixed effect growth models were calculated for perpetration and victimization, disaggregated by disability status. Results suggest that students with disabilities report higher levels of perpetration and victimization over time, but a nonlinear trend is present with decreased reports of both bullying and victimization during middle school. Specific results, implications, directions for future research, and recommendations for anti-bullying programming will be discussed.

Authors

• Chad Allen Rose, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Nicholas A Gage, University of Florida