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. 2017 Jul;107(7):1116-1118.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.303761. Epub 2017 May 18.

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

Emily O'Malley Olsen  1 , Alana M Vivolo-Kantor  1 , Laura Kann  1 , Chiniqua N Milligan  1
Affiliations

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

Emily O'Malley Olsen et al. Am J Public Health. 2017 Jul.

Abstract

Objectives: To compare changes over time in prevalence of school victimization among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students compared with heterosexual students.

Methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusions: 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.

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References

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