Racial bullying patterns predict different substance use behaviors across ethnic groups
Among nearly 10,000 US adolescents, the link between racial bullying involvement and marijuana use varied by race: African American bully-victims were more likely to use marijuana, while other groups showed different substance patterns.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
African American adolescents who were both bullying perpetrators and victims were more likely to use marijuana. White victims were more likely to use alcohol but less likely to use tobacco. Latino bully-victims were more likely to use tobacco. The patterns of substance use associated with bullying involvement differed across racial and ethnic groups.
Key Numbers
9,863 participants across White, African American, and Latino groups. African American bully/victims showed significantly higher marijuana use. Analysis used multinomial logistic regression controlling for demographics.
How They Did This
Analysis of the 2009-2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study (n=9,863). Adolescents were categorized into four bullying groups (victim-only, bully-only, bully/victim, non-involved). Multinomial logistic regression examined substance use across groups by race/ethnicity.
Why This Research Matters
Understanding how bullying intersects with race and substance use helps design targeted prevention programs rather than one-size-fits-all approaches that may miss the most at-risk youth.
The Bigger Picture
The racial differences in which substances are associated with bullying involvement suggest that cultural context shapes how adolescents respond to victimization and peer conflict.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional design cannot determine directionality. Data from 2009-2010 may not reflect current patterns. Self-reported bullying and substance use. Cannabis landscape has changed significantly since data collection.
Questions This Raises
- ?What drives the specific link between bully-victim status and marijuana use in African American adolescents?
- ?Have these patterns shifted with cannabis legalization?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 9,863 adolescents; bullying-substance links varied by race
- Evidence Grade:
- Large cross-sectional study using nationally collected school health data with appropriate statistical methods.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2022, using 2009-2010 data.
- Original Title:
- Racial/Ethnic Bullying Subtypes and Alcohol, Tobacco, and Marijuana Use Among US Adolescents.
- Published In:
- Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, 9(4), 1443-1453 (2022)
- Authors:
- Hong, Jun Sung, Kim, Dong Ha, Hunter, Simon C, Cleeland, Leah R, Lee, Carol A, Lee, Jane J, Kim, Jinwon
- Database ID:
- RTHC-03916
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Is bullying linked to marijuana use in teens?
The pattern depended on race: African American adolescents who were both bullying perpetrators and victims were more likely to use marijuana, while White and Latino youth showed different substance use patterns related to bullying.
Do all teens respond to bullying the same way?
No. This study found that the relationship between bullying involvement and substance use differed significantly across White, African American, and Latino adolescents.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03916APA
Hong, Jun Sung; Kim, Dong Ha; Hunter, Simon C; Cleeland, Leah R; Lee, Carol A; Lee, Jane J; Kim, Jinwon. (2022). Racial/Ethnic Bullying Subtypes and Alcohol, Tobacco, and Marijuana Use Among US Adolescents.. Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, 9(4), 1443-1453. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-021-01081-w
MLA
Hong, Jun Sung, et al. "Racial/Ethnic Bullying Subtypes and Alcohol, Tobacco, and Marijuana Use Among US Adolescents.." Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-021-01081-w
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Racial/Ethnic Bullying Subtypes and Alcohol, Tobacco, and Ma..." RTHC-03916. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/hong-2022-racialethnic-bullying-subtypes-and
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.