Adolescent Experiences With Multiple Forms of Biased Victimization: A Typology of Bias Types in a Sample of Victims

Abstract

As awareness of biased (or, identity-based) victimization and its harmful effects on student mental health has grown, it has become widely acknowledged that biased victimization is a serious problem worthy of specialized inquiry. However, past research has seldom examined youth experiences with biased victimization in terms of common intersections of biases, leaving a gap in knowledge with implications for intervention-focused school programming. This study used U.S. survey data from 2017, 2019, and 2022 to describe students’ experiences with seven forms of biased victimization. Analyses categorized victimization experiences into a typology according to bias types (e.g. racial bias, sexual orientation bias) and determined the sociodemographic as well as incident-level correlates of the different victimization experiences. In the sample of victims ( N = 2,970), latent class analysis revealed three distinct classes, characterized by (a) low rates of all forms of biased victimization (77%); (b) primarily racial and ethnic bias (9%); and (c) multiple forms of non-racial biased victimization (14%). Student and incident characteristics were associated with odds of being in each of these classes. Results have implications for improving school-based prevention and indicate that further investigation into multiple forms of biased victimization is warranted.