Homophobic bullying and victimization among adolescents: The role of prejudice,moral disengagement,and sexual orientation

Abstract

Bullying is associated with harmful consequences for those who are involved, in particular for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and sexually questioning (LGBQ) adolescents, who are teased for their sexual orientation. Not only LGBQ youth may experience homophobic bullying, but also students who are perceived as not conforming to traditional masculine/feminine gender role expectations. Wrong beliefs, prejudices, and moral disengagement may account for the perpetration of homophobic bullying. The present work aims at investigating whether (boys and girls) heterosexual and LGBQ adolescents were differently involved in homophobic and non-homophobic bullying and victimization and whether biological sex and sexual orientation moderated the relationships between prejudice and moral disengagement and involvement in homophobic bullying and victimization. Participants were 197 adolescents (70 boys, 127 girls), aged 15–18 years (M = 16.32); 46 of them defined themselves as LGBQ people. They responded to questionnaires about bullying and victimization, prejudice against homosexuality, and moral disengagement in situations involving sexual orientation. Results of the univariate analyses pointed to a higher homophobic and non-homophobic victimization among LGBQ adolescents than among their heterosexual counterparts. In the regressions, homophobic bullying was associated with being male and heterosexual, and with moral disengagement, whereas homophobic victimization was related to a low level of prejudice, in particular for LGBQ youths. The findings underscore the importance of examining prejudice and moral disengagement when studying homophobic bullying and victimization and point to the need for developing intervention programs.     

Individual and Community Resilience Factors Among Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual,Queer and Questioning Youth and Adults in Israel

Drawing on resilience theories, this study examined the individual and community factors of Israeli lesbians, gays, bisexuals, queers, and questioning (LGBQs) that contribute to positive mental health and the degree to which individual and community protective factors mitigate the adverse effect of risk factors for poor mental health. Differences in resilience factors between LGBQ youth and adults were explored. Data were collected on 890 LGBQ youth and adults. Findings emphasize the role of community‐level resilience factors in the lives of LGBQs, and that these support systems differ slightly between the two age groups. Among youth, family support was both a strong predictor for well‐being and a protective factor for mental distress. Although family support was found as a resilience factor among adults as well, other community‐level factors (friends’ support, LGBT connectedness and having steady partner) were found as protective factors for poorer mental health. These findings suggest for efforts on fostering familial support for LGBQ youth and a multi‐level system that offers support at the familial, peer, relationship and community levels for both LGBQ youth and adults.