Engl. transl.: Bullying and cyberbullying in LGTB adolescents: Prevalence and effects on mental health

Bullying and cyberbullying have negative consequences on adolescents’ mental health. The study had two objectives: 1) to analyze possible differences in sexual orientation (heterosexual and non-heterosexual) in the percentage of victims and aggressors of bullying/cyberbullying, as well as the amount of aggressive behavior suffered and carried out; 2) to compare the mental health of adolescent heterosexual and non-heterosexual victims, aggressors, cybervictims, and cyberaggressors. Participants included 1,748 adolescents from the Basque Country, aged between 13 and 17 years (52.6% girls, 47.4% boys), 12.5% non-heterosexuals, 87.5% heterosexuals, who completed 4 assessment instruments. A descriptive and comparative cross-sectional methodology was used. The results confirm that: 1) the percentage of victims and cybervictims was significantly higher in non-heterosexuals, but the percentage of heterosexual and non-heterosexual aggressors and cyberaggressors was similar; 2) non-heterosexual victims and cybervictims had suffered significantly more aggressive bullying/cyberbullying; 3) non-heterosexual victims and aggressors of bullying exhibited significantly more depression, social anxiety, and psychopathological symptoms (somatization, obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity…) than heterosexuals; 4) non-heterosexual cybervictims and cyberaggressors displayed more depression and more psychopathological symptoms, but no differences were found in social anxiety. The importance of intervening from the family, school, and society to reduce bullying/cyberbullying and enhance respect for sexual diversity is discussed.

The study provides data on the prevalence of LGTB-phobic bullying/cyberbullying, Garaigordobil & Larrain (2020: 87) state that "LGTB people not only suffer more frequently from bullying/cyberbullying, but also develop more psychopathological symptoms due to the victimisation/cybervictimisation suffered, than those who suffer bullying/cyberbullying who are heterosexual". The authors address that children are not born homophobic, they are modelled from birth by the messages received from their family, school and social environment, "therefore, it is necessary to educate about sexual orientation/identity in different contexts, so that children grow up respecting differences in general and sexual diversity in particular" (Garaigordobil & Larrain 2020: 88). The authors also remark that results have practical implications and suggest the need to develop "specific activities during childhood and adolescence that stimulate respect and tolerance towards sexual diversity, and activities within anti-bullying programmes that address LGTB-phobic bullying/cyberbullying, due to non-heteronormative sexual orientation/identity" (Garaigordobil & Larrain, 2020: 88). The authors point out that even though many Spanish schools are currently developing anty-cyberbullying activities, very few programs hold specif strategies to reduce stereotypes and prejudices necessary to address cyberbullying based on stigmatisation, therefore "future intervention proposals should include such strategies to address bullying of stigmatised groups" (Garaigordobil & Larrain, 2020: 88). The authors also clarify that intervention to reduce stigmatisation and harassment/cyber-bullying of LGBT people should be multidirectional. Garaigordobil & Larrain (2020: 88) point out that "family education on tolerance of diversity plays a key role. The school is a relevant context to carry out anti-bullying activities that focus on vulnerable groups, promoting tolerance among the diversity. The third axis of intervention must be the society in general, as the norms and values it promotes conditioned behaviour".