Title : Disability and bullying victimization among adolescents in nepal: The influence of community gender norms

Background: Bullying victimization affects the well-being and academic success of children and adolescents, especially those with disabilities. However, bullying victimization is underexplored in low-middle-income countries. This study investigates the relationship between disability status and bullying victimization while exploring the role of gender norms on this relationship and examining gender differences in Nepal.

Methods: The sample consisted of 593 Nepali school-going adolescents across 19 municipalities. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between disability status, measured by Washington Group Short Set on Functioning, and bullying victimization, measured by Reduced-Aggression-Victimization Scale. We then tested if community gender norms moderated this relationship. Subgroup analyses were then conducted by gender.

Results: Eight percent of adolescents reported disabilities and bullying, respectively. Adolescents with disabilities had significantly higher odds of experiencing bullying victimization compared to their nondisabled peers (B = 0.99, p = 0.01). Community gender norms moderated this relationship, such that adolescents with disabilities living in communities with more gender unequal norms had a heightened risk of bullying victimization (B = 6.84, p = 0.02). Subgroup analysis indicated that the relationship between disability status and bullying victimization was stronger for boys than girls.

Conclusions: Our findings highlight the vulnerability of adolescents with disabilities to bullying victimization and the need for gender-sensitive interventions in schools and communities. Targeting harmful gender norms in schools may mitigate bullying victimization for students with disabilities. Further research is needed in low-middle-income countries to explore the role of social and gender norms on bullying victimization in larger and diverse samples.

Zarmeen Shakil holds dual master’s degrees in applied and forensic psychology from New York University and George Washington University, USA, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bahria University, Pakistan, where she also trained and worked as a mental health counselor. She is a PhD Candidate in Global Health and Development at Emory University. Her dissertation, conducted in partnership with Aga Khan University, examines campus-based sexual harassment in Pakistan. She has worked with organizations such as FCDO on adopting a gender lens to early childhood programs and conducts research on gender-based violence and mental health across global and humanitarian contexts.