Mental Health and Bias-Based Bullying and Cyberbullying Victimization Among Young Adults with Intersectional Identities

In line with the minority stress model and theories of intersectionality, racialized and 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals report higher rates of mental health problems and bias-based bullying and cyberbullying victimization compared to their White and heterosexual peers, respectively. However, there is mixed and conflicting evidence on individuals with intersectional identities (e.g., racialized and 2SLGBTQIA+), with some studies showing cumulative negative effects but others showing similar levels of mental health and victimization compared to those with a single minoritized identity. We examined experiences of general and bias-based bullying and cyberbullying victimization, and levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness in an online cross-sectional study of university students (N = 1307, M_age = 19.10, SD = 1.51). One-way multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVAs) revealed significant differences among racial/ethnic and sexual/gender identity groups on all measures of mental health and bias-based bullying and cyberbullying victimization after controlling for age. Post hoc tests using Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons suggested that racialized 2SLGBTQIA+ students reported higher anxiety, depression, and perceived loneliness than White heterosexual students. They also reported higher rates of racial microaggression, online racial discrimination, and everyday discrimination than their White heterosexual peers, but not for homophobic aggression. Contrary to theories of minority stress, students with intersectional identities did not differ from peers with a single minoritized identity (i.e., White 2SLGBTQIA+ or racialized heterosexual students). Together, our findings highlight the importance of considering intersectional identities in the mental health and bias-based victimization of young adults, which have implications for future research, clinical interventions, and mental health prevention programs.