RRL 1

Do Anti-Bullying Laws Work?

Joseph J. Sabia,
Brittany Bass

Variables of the Study:

The study includes several variables to analyze the relationship between anti-bullying
laws (ABLs) and student well-being. These variables can be categorized into different
groups:

Dependent Variables: The study examines various outcomes related to student well-
being, such as unsafe behavior, fights in school, threats, GPA, suicide plans, suicide
ideas, bullying, high school dropout rates, violent crime, property crime, fear, and pistol
ownership.
Independent Variables: The study considers a range of independent variables, including
demographic controls (gender, age, grade, race/ethnicity), state-specific time-varying
education controls (average pupil-teacher ratio, average teacher salary, National School
Lunch Program participation rates, share of population with a Bachelor's degree), and
state-specific time-varying economic and policy controls (alcohol policies, cigarette
taxes, state unemployment rate, per capita income).
Control Variables: The study includes additional control variables, such as state-specific
linear time trends, policy leads, and unmeasured state trends.

Overall, the study aims to examine the impact of ABLs on student well-being while
controlling for various demographic, educational, economic, and policy factors.

Research Design of the Study:

The research design of this study is based on a difference-in-difference approach.

The study uses repeated cross-sections of the National and State Youth Risk Behavior
Surveys (YRBS) from 1993 to 2013 to examine the effects of anti-bullying laws (ABLs)
on student well-being. The analysis focuses on within-state changes in bullying laws to
estimate their effect on student outcomes. The study also includes state-specific time
trends and policy leads to address potential endogeneity issues. The research design
aims to provide more credible and generalizable estimates of the effects of ABLs on
various aspects of student well-being, including safety, mental health, crime, and
academic achievement.

Research Participants in the Study

The research participants in this study are high school students in the United States.
The primary analysis uses data from the National and State Youth Risk Behavior
Surveys (YRBS) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The National YRBS is representative of the population of U.S. high school students,
while the State YRBS surveys are administered by state education and health agencies.
The YRBS data includes measures of student well-being, such as perceived school
safety, physical fights, weapons threats, mental health, and academic performance.

Research Locale:
The study was conducted in the United States. The study's authors are affiliated with
San Diego State University, which is located in California. The data used in the study
was drawn from repeated cross-sections of both the National and State Youth Risk
Behavior Surveys (YRBS) from 1993 to 2013. The National YRBS is conducted by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is representative of the
population of U.S. high school students. The State YRBS surveys are administered by
state education and health agencies.

Methodology of the Study:

The study utilizes a difference-in-difference approach to estimate the effects of anti-
bullying laws (ABLs) on student well-being. The identification of the impact comes from
within-state variation in ABLs from 1993 to 2013. The study includes a set of
demographic controls, state-specific time-varying education controls, and state-specific
time-varying economic and policy controls. Continuous outcomes, such as GPA and
high school dropout rates, are estimated using ordinal Least Squares (OLS). The study
also addresses the possibility of policy endogeneity by adding state-specific linear time
trends and examining the robustness of the estimates with the inclusion of policy leads.

Methods:
- Suicide Ideation (Plan): Coded as one if the student reported considering suicide
or making a plan about attempting suicide during the past 12 months, and 0 if
not.
- Anti-Bullying Laws (ABL): Generated a dichotomous measure to determine if a
state had enacted and was enforcing an anti-bullying law.
- Transparency/Monitoring and Legal Remedies: Information can be found at
www.stopbullying.gov/laws/key-components/index.html.
- Threat: Coded as one if the student reported being threatened or injured at least
once during the past 12 months, and 0 if not.
 - Bullied: Coded as one if the student reported being bullied on school property
during the past 12 months, and 0 if not.
- Crime: Used data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime
Reports to measure property and violent crime arrests for 13-to-17 year-olds
from 1993 to 2012.
- Academic Performance: We explored the human capital effects of ABLs using
two measures of academic performance.
- Re-estimation: Re-estimated models to include policy leads for three years
before enforcing an ABL.
- Safety Measures: We used measures of frequency of school absences, physical
fights, and weapons-related threats to capture safety along the intensive margin.
- Alternate Safety Measures: Examined the effect of ABLs on self-reported bullying
and property and violent crime arrests for minor teens.
- Control Variables: Included demographic, educational, and economic/policy
controls in the analysis.
- Identification: We used within-state variation in ABLs from 1993 to 2013 to
estimate the effects.
- Addressing Policy Endogeneity: Added state-specific linear time trends and
tested the robustness of estimates with the inclusion of policy leads.

Findings of the Study:

The study found that enforcing anti-bullying laws (ABLs) is associated with improved
student safety. Specifically, ABLs with strict student reporting requirements reduced the
probability of school safety-related absences, student fighting, and weapons-related
threats. High-intensity ABLs also reduced property and violent crime arrests among
minor teens. However, the study did not find evidence that ABLs significantly affect
academic performance or suicide prevention.
RRL 2
ARE ANTI-BULLYING LAWS EFFECTIVE?
Ari Ezra Waldman

Variables in the Study:

Dependent Variables: The study focuses on three dependent variables: LGB bullying
rates, LGB cyberbullying rates, and suicidal thoughts among LGB teenagers. These
variables were measured using responses to the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey
(YRBS) questions.
Independent Variable: The primary independent variable in the study is a state's
commitment to LGBTQ equality, which is measured using an Equality Score. This score
is derived from the compliance of state anti-bullying laws with guidelines provided by the
Department of Education (DOE) and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
Control Variables: The study also considers other factors influencing bullying rates,
such as state-level demographic characteristics, socioeconomic factors, and other
state-level policies.
Statistical Measures: The study utilizes statistical measures to analyze the relationship
between variables. These measures include p-values, which indicate the strength of
evidence against the null hypothesis, and R-squared (r2), which represents the
percentage of the dependent variable that can be explained by the independent
variable.

Research Design:
Descriptive Research Design (DRD) aims to describe and document the characteristics
or behaviors of a particular phenomenon without manipulating it.

Participants in the Study:

The participants of this study were students in grades 9 through 12 from schools
across twelve states. A total of 167,856 students responded to the Youth Risk Behavior
Survey (YRBS), which measured various aspects of student health, including bullying
rates. After eliminating responses with unreported or missing information, the final
sample consisted of 144,261 students across twenty-three states.

Research Locale:
United States

Methodology Used in the Study:

The methodology used in this study involved the analysis of data obtained from the
2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The YRBS is a comprehensive study that
measures various aspects of student health, including bullying rates. The study utilized
responses from 167,856 students in grades 9 through 12 across twelve states. The data
was analyzed using statistical models to examine the relationship between state anti-
bullying laws and rates of bullying, cyberbullying, and suicidal thoughts among LGBTQ
students. The study also considered the state's commitment to LGBTQ equality as a
factor in explaining cross-state differences in these rates.

Methods of the Study:

Data and Methods
- The study used data from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), which
measures student health on various metrics.
- Three relevant questions from the YRBS were used: (1) Have you ever been
bullied on school property in the past 12 months? (2) Have you been
electronically bullied in the past 12 months? (3) Have you ever seriously
considered suicide in the past 12 months?
- The responses to these questions were dichotomous, either "Yes" or "No".
167,856 students in grades 9 through 12 across twelve states responded to the
YRBS.
- Due to unreported or missing information, 23,595 responses were eliminated,
resulting in a total sample of 144,261 students across twenty-three states.
- State anti-bullying laws were coded based on compliance (1) or noncompliance
(0), with sixteen legislative components.
- Compliance scores (C-Scores) were derived for each state, denoting the percent
of compliance.
- Statistical analysis, including regression modeling, was used to analyze the data.

Results and Discussion

- The study aimed to determine if differences in cross-state approaches to anti-
bullying laws were associated with different rates of bullying, cyberbullying, and
suicidal thoughts among LGB students.
- The study found that enacting and implementing an anti-bullying law, even a
comprehensive one, had little to no impact on LGB students health and safety.
- The most important factor explaining cross-state differences in rates of LGB
bullying, cyberbullying, and suicidal thoughts was a state's broader commitment
to LGBTQ equality.
- States with laws that protect LGBTQ people from discrimination tend to have
lower rates of LGB bullying, cyberbullying, and suicidal thoughts among students.
- Comprehensive anti-bullying laws interacted with a state's commitment to
equality, but their role was minor, and they did not play a significant role on their
own.

Limitations
- The study had limitations, including a small sample size with data from only
twenty-three states.
- Small data sets make regression modeling imprecise, and it took a lot of work to
answer questions about subsets of states.
- The small sample size should be considered when interpreting the data.

Conclusion
- Merely enacting and implementing an anti-bullying law has little to no impact on
LGB students' health and safety.
- A state's broader commitment to LGBTQ equality is the most important factor in
reducing rates of LGB bullying, cyberbullying, and suicidal thoughts among
students.
- Anti-bullying laws are part of a broader societal response to school bullying.

Findings of the Study

The study analyzed data from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) to
examine the impact of anti-bullying laws on the health and safety of lesbian, gay,
and bisexual (LGB) students. The analysis showed that enacting and
implementing anti-bullying laws, even comprehensive ones, had little to no
impact on LGB students' health and safety. The study found that a state's
broader commitment to LGBTQ equality, including laws protecting LGBTQ
individuals from discrimination, was the most essential factor in reducing rates
of LGB bullying, cyberbullying, and suicidal thoughts among teenagers in school.
The study also highlighted the limitations of small sample sizes in regression
modeling and the need for a broader societal response to bullying in schools.

RRL 3
Do Anti-Bullying Laws Reduce In-School Victimization, Fear-based
 Absenteeism, and Suicidality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Questioning
Youth?
Kristie L. Seelman
Mary Beth Walker

Variables of the Study:

- Dependent Variables:
The study includes several dependent variables, such as bullying in the past 12 months,
fear-based absenteeism in the past month, being threatened or injured at school in the
past 12 months, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. These variables measure
different aspects of students' experiences and well-being.
- State Policy Variables:
The study examines the impact of two anti-bullying laws: general and enumerated anti-
bullying laws. These variables indicate the presence or absence of these laws in
different states.
- State Controls:
The study includes several state-specific, time-varying control variables. These variables
account for linear time trends by state and have the percentage of a state's population
composed of people of color, the presence of same-sex marriage laws, population
density, income levels, and youth unemployment rates.
- Demographic Variables:
The study also considers demographic variables, such as sexual identity, age, and sex.
These variables help compare the impact of anti-bullying laws across different
subgroups of LGBQ students and provide additional context for the analysis.

Research Design Used in the Study:

The research design used in this study is a difference-in-difference design. This design
compares students in states with similar demographics but different policy conditions. It
aims to identify the causal impact of anti-bullying policies on student outcomes by
analyzing the differences in outcomes between states with and without such policies.
The design controls for observable effects and attempts to isolate the impact of policy
change on student outcomes. The study also includes state-specific, time-varying
control variables to account for linear time trends by state.

Participants in the Study:

The participants in the study were high school students. The study used data from the
Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), which is meant to represent all public high school
students. The data included information about the experiences of bullying, fear-based
absenteeism, and other in-school victimization among LGBQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
questioning) students. The study analyzed data from multiple years (2005-2015) and
included participants from various states who asked sexual identity questions on their
surveys.
 Research Locale:
The study was conducted in the United States, precisely in 22 states, between 2005 and
2015. The specific states are not mentioned in the given document.

Methodology Used in the Study:

The study utilized a statistical method called "difference-in-difference" analysis to
identify the causal impact of anti-bullying laws on student outcomes. This method
compares students in states with similar demographics but no policy to those in
conditions where one exists. The analysis also included state-specific, time-varying
control variables for linear time trends and other factors that may influence students’
experiences of in-school victimization. The researchers used weighted regression
models to estimate the effects of the policies on different outcomes.

Methods Used in the Study:

- Difference-in-Difference Models: The study utilizes linear difference-in-difference models
to identify the causal impact of anti-bullying policies on student outcomes. These
models compare students in states with similar demographics but no approach to
conditions where a policy exists, controlling for observable effects and excluding
unobservable variables.
- State-Specific, Time-Varying Control Variables: Several state-specific, time-varying
control variables were included in the difference-in-difference models to account for
linear time trends by state. These controls help address factors that may relate to
student experiences of in-school victimization and anti-bullying laws.
- Year Effects: The reported results come from models that included year effects, which
help to examine the possibility of parallel trends affecting the outcomes over time.
- Leads and Lags: The research team considered running models using tips and lags to
determine whether there were any pre-trends in the outcome variables.
- Data Collection Considerations: The study acknowledges that future research into the
accuracy of bullying measures might consider collecting data from multiple sources to
assess self-reported items' accuracy better. Additionally, further insights could be
gained from school or district-level data and data that measure the intensity of anti-
bullying law implementation.

Findings of this Study:

The study examined the impact of anti-bullying laws on LGBQ high school students. The
results showed that LGBQ youth reported higher adverse outcomes than straight youth.
For example, bullying among gay and bisexual boys rose by 35 percentage points,
indicating that over half of these young teens experience bullying. Additionally, the study
found that general and enumerated anti-bullying laws at the state level were associated
with less bullying victimization among LGBQ students. However, no significant results
were found between anti-bullying laws and in-school threats, injury with a weak weapon,
or suicidal ideation.