Given their significance to school violence, this study quantifies the association between bullying victimization and perceptions of safety separately for victimization in which the type is not specified compared with victimization that is physical.
Generalized liner mixed modeling was employed with 5,138 sixth- to eighth-grade students in 24 schools, who self-reported on their bullying victimization and perceptions of school safety on an anonymous survey in fall 2015. Results indicate a multiplicative interaction exists regarding the odds of feeling unsafe at school among those who were bullied at all (odds ratio [OR] = 3.1) compared to those who were bullied physically (OR = 9.12). For school nurses who work with students with a variety of concerns and health issues, this research indicates that the use of bullying victimization as an outcome, proxy, and/or predictor, requires inquiry into the type of bullying experienced, which will inform the kind of care and support received. (publisher abstract modified)