Journal of Rural Mental Health, Vol 49(1), Jan 2025, 1-9; doi:10.1037/rmh0000284
Bullying victimization and perpetration have been associated with social factors, such as socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and geographic residence. To date, there has not yet been an examination of rurality and bullying perpetration or victimization, using a nationally representative survey. The purpose of this study is to address this gap by examining the association between rurality and bullying behaviors, using a nationally based population-level survey sample of 37 states. Cross-sectional data used for this study were from the 2020 to 2021 National Survey of Children’s Health, n = 42,550 children. Multivariable regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between rurality and bullying victimization or perpetration. We found that rural children had higher rates of both bullying perpetration and bullying victimization when compared to urban children, in unadjusted analyses. In adjusted analyses, rural children had a higher likelihood of being a perpetrator of bullying than urban children (aOR = 1.19; 95% CI [1.10, 1.40]); there was not a significant relationship between bullying victimization and rurality. Children with special health care needs had a higher odds of victimization of bullying than children without special health care needs (aOR = 2.48; 95% CI [1.17, 5.27]). The results of this study could be used to inform rural stakeholders and educators for programming and policies for child and youth development. Based on the findings, it is recommended that schools in rural areas develop and implement comprehensive bullying policies tailored to their unique environments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
