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Bully victimization, depression, and the role of protective factors among college LGBTQ students
Author(s) -
Moran Theresa E.,
Chen Cliff YungChi,
Tryon Georgiana Shick
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.21978
Subject(s) - lesbian , psychology , transgender , peer victimization , clinical psychology , sexual minority , depression (economics) , sexual orientation , population , depressive symptoms , suicide prevention , poison control , psychiatry , social psychology , medicine , anxiety , environmental health , psychoanalysis , economics , macroeconomics
This study surveyed 347 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning college students from across the United States concerning their bully victimization, depressive symptoms, and sources of support. Participants responded to an online survey that asked them about their victimization experiences during the 3 months prior to the survey. The results indicate that four types of bully victimization (verbal, relational, cyber, and physical) occur during the college years, and that victimization relates positively to depressive symptomatology in sexual minority college students. The 4 forms of bullying did not relate to depression in the same manner for each of the 5 sexual minority subgroups. Peer support, but not family and campus support, provided a buffer against depression for lesbian, gay, and bisexual students. This study involved a sample exclusively comprising sexual minority college students, and the findings show the need for colleges to address bully victimization and its effects in this population.