Equity in the Academy? Examining Cyberbullying Victimization and Conflict Resolution Across Sexual and Gender Identity During COVID-19

Abstract

Decades of research have examined bullying victimization during the K-12 years of schooling; yet limited research has explored cyberbullying victimization at the university level, and even fewer studies have examined cyberbullying of SGM (sexual and/or gender minority) individuals in higher education. As reliance on technology has increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, university members may have encountered increased victimization experiences. This report aims to expand the literature on SGM cyberbullying victimization and resource utilization in higher education. Findings resulted from a mixed-methods survey of 231 respondents (185 students, 28 staff, 18 faculty) at a large, research-intensive university in the northeast United States. In general, cyberbullying victimization was not attributed to one’s sexual or gender identity, and occurred primarily through educational communication tools (e.g., email) and social media; a majority of cyberbullying instances went unacknowledged by supervisors or campus resources. Though community members were aware of institutional conflict resolution resources, many of the reported instances were not resolved. Future research should focus on how cyberbullying in higher education continues to change as reliance on information and communication technology increases.