The bullying of sexual minorities at school: Its nature and long-term correlates

Abstract Over the past 10 years, there has been a great deal of research activity exploring the nature and frequency of peer victimisation and bullying behaviour. This paper reports on a three-year study focusing upon the experiences of a sample of lesbians, gay men and bisexual men and women who were bullied at school, and the long-term impact it has had upon their lives. Data collection consisted of three elements: A survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered adults’ experiences of bullying at school (N = 190); a survey of the psycho-social correlates and long-term effects of bullying with a sub-sample of 119 participants; and, finally, a small number of in-depth interviews with 16 participants. Participants’ experiences of bullying in school were long-term (mean: 5 years) systematic, and were perpetrated by groups of peers rather than by individuals. Participants were unlikely to report incidents of bullying either to teachers or to someone at home. In the survey of psychosocial correlates and long-term effects over 50 per cent of participants reported contemplating self-harming behaviour or suicide with 40 per cent making one or more attempts. As adults, they were found to exhibit some symptoms associated with negative affect when compared to controls. However, participants did not suffer from low self-esteem and had a positive attitude towards their own homosexuality/bisexuality and homosexuality/bisexuality generally.