Types of Bias-Based Bullying Victimization, Verbal Hate Victimization, and Avoidance Behavior: Implications for...

Background and Objective: Guided by the cognitive avoidance theory of worry, the study examines school locations that victims of certain types of bias-based bullying or verbal hate tend to avoid. Methods: The 2017 National Crime Victimization Survey was used. Findings and Conclusions: The latent class analysis results revealed that Class 2 ("Intensive Multiple Bias-Based Bullying Victimization") exhibited higher rates of bias-based bullying victimization related to race, ethnic/origin, and physical appearance. Class 2 demonstrated a higher mean of avoidance than Class 1 ("Low-Level Bias-Based Bullying Victimization") in various locations. Moreover, Class 3 ("Gender and Sexual Orientation-Centered Verbal Hate Victimization") showed a higher mean of avoidance in school activities than Class 1 ("Disability-Centered Verbal Hate Victimization") and Class 2 ("Race and Ethnicity-Centered Verbal Hate Victimization"). Class 3 exhibited a higher mean of avoidance in classes compared with Class 2.