Bullying victimization and racial discrimination among Australian children

Objectives. To compare the prevalence of bullying victimization and racial discrimination by ethnicity. Methods. We completed a cross-sectional analysis of 3956 children aged 12 to 13 years from wave 5 (2011–2012) of the nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Results. Bullying victimization and racial discrimination were weakly associated and differently patterned by ethnicity. Children from visible minorities reported less bullying victimization but more racial discrimination than did their peers with Australian-born parents. Indigenous children reported the highest risk of bullying victimization and racial discrimination. Conclusions. Peer victimization and racial discrimination each require specific attention as unique childhood stressors. A focus on general bullying victimization alone may miss unique stress exposures experienced by children from stigmatized ethnic backgrounds.