A new study shows that students who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual later in life are bullied more frequently than other students.
The study found homosexual and bisexual students in 10th grade were three times as likely to be bullied weekly the previous year. Bullying starts as early as elementary school and can cause physical injury, suicidal thoughts and post-traumatic stress, among other things, according to CBS News.
The study, which was first published in the May issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, surveyed over 4,000 students from Los Angeles County, Houston, and Birmingham, Ala. Students were asked about bullying habits in fifth, seventh and 10th grades.
Across all three grades, homosexual and bisexual students were almost twice as likely to be bullied weekly the previous year. Those students were also roughly 56 percent more likely than their heterosexual peers to experience physical harm, threats of harm, and name-calling weekly in the previous year.
The study also found that bullying declined as students got older.
