Speaker
Description
Prior research shows that students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) are at higher risk of bullying involvement and negative outcomes when compared to peers without disabilities. However, limited research has examined the forms, frequencies, roles of involvement and associated outcomes of bullying involvement in this sample. To address these gaps, this study drew on the Social–Ecological Diathesis–Stress model to explore the profiles of bullying involvement that exist amongst students with SLD, and to what extent one’s bullying involvement profile is associated with mental health and school engagement outcomes.
A total of 221 students ages 7-18 in Special Education with a primary classification of SLD participated in this study. Participants completed survey items to assess bullying victimization, perpetration, school engagement, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. This study utilized Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to model bullying victimization and perpetration. Multiple linear regressions were performed to look at associations between bullying involvement and mental health and school engagement outcomes.
The four–profile solution was selected as the best fit solution. The four profiles were: 1) low–involvement group; 2) mildly involved group; 3) moderately/highly victimized group; and 4) moderately frequent bully/victims. The largest profiles were Profile 1 (low involvement) and Profile 4 (moderately frequent bully/victims). Results indicate negative effects on school engagement and internalizing and externalizing symptoms associated with higher bullying involvement. In particular, youth who engaged in perpetration and experienced victimization experienced the most negative outcomes, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to support subgroups of youth with SLD.
Keywords
bias-based bullying; students with disabilities; latent profile analysis
| Please also indicate what kind of contribution it is: | Scientific |
|---|---|
| Please indicate what type of scientific contribution it is | Quantitative method study |
