Associations Between Antibullying Policies and Bullying in 25 States.

Abstract

Substantial media attention on recent school shootings and suicides by students who have experienced bullying has increased public awareness of childhood bullying,¹ which is defined as peer-on-peer aggressive behavior that occurs repeatedly over time.² Bullying is one of the most common forms of peer aggression in schools; data from the national 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS) indicated that 20% of high school youth reported being bullied on school property in the last 12 months.³ Being bullied and perpetrating bullying are associated with myriad adverse psychosocial outcomes, including social isolation, anxiety, depression, substance and alcohol use, self-harm, and suicide attempts.⁴