Bullying and Cyberbullying Experienced by College Students with Disabilities: Data from the ACHA-NCHA III Survey Results

Students with disabilities (SWD) in higher education experience higher rates of bullying as compared with students without disabilities (SWOD), which may result in lower academic achievement and distress among SWD. We conducted a secondary data analysis of ACHA-NCHA III survey data from 55,824 respondents to examine the risk of bullying and cyberbullying targeting and the associations between these experiences, distress and academic performance among SWD and SWOD. Specifically, we (1) compared the risk of experiencing bullying and cyberbullying between SWD and SWOD, (2) compared the impact of bullying and cyberbullying on academic performance and distress between SWD and SWOD and (3) examined whether social cohesion and sense of belonging moderated the likelihood of experiencing bullying, cyberbullying, and negative academic outcomes (i.e., distress and poor academic performance) among SWD and SWOD. Results indicated that SWD were nearly 2 × more likely to experience bullying and cyberbullying, 1.5 × more likely to experience distress in response to bullying and cyberbullying, and 1.7 × more likely to experience negative academic performance in response to bullying. Furthermore, SWOD with a positive sense of social cohesion reported less distress and better academic performance in response to bullying and cyberbullying. These findings stress the need for increased efforts from stakeholders, faculty members, and university counselors to support SWD navigating the college environment. Findings may also be useful for the implementation of anti-bullying policies at the institutional level.