Bullying and homophobia in UK schools: A perspective on factors affecting resilience and recovery

Abstract

This article reports the results of a three-year study focusing on the experiences of a sample of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people in the United Kingdom who were victimized by their peers at school. Data collected from 190 LGBs suggested that experiences of victimization at school were both long-term and systematic, and were perpetrated by groups rather than by individuals. Subsequently, data collected from a sub-sample of 119 participants indicated that over 50 percent had contemplated self-harm of suicide at the time they were being harassed, and that 40 percent had engaged in such behavior at least once. As adults, participants were found to exhibit symptoms associated with negative affect when contrasted with heterosexual and non-victimized LGB peers. Seventeen percent exhibited symptoms associated with PTSD. However, the results also demonstrated that the majority of participants did not differ significantly from comparison groups in terms of self-esteem, and they had a positive attitude towards their sexual orientation. These findings are discussed with reference to the current literature about the development of resilience following exposure to violence and trauma.