Brief Report Prevalence of Bullying Among Autistic Adolescents in the United States: Impact of Disability Severity Status

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of bullying behaviors among autistic and non-autistic adolescents between the ages of 12–17 years in the U.S. and the extent to which the severity of such disability impacts bullying behaviors, based on the 2019–2020 National Survey of Children’s Health. Methods Parental reports of bullying perpetration and victimization were used to compare bullying behaviors among a weighted sample of 1011 autistic and 28,016 non-autistic adolescents. Results Adjusting for participant sex, household income level, highest parent education, and race/ethnicity, autistic adolescents were significantly more likely to engage in bullying perpetration and experience bullying victimization than non-Autistic adolescents. Compared to non-autistic peers, autistic adolescents with moderate/severe autism were most likely to bully others (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.80, p < 0.05) and experience bullying victimization (aOR = 5.13, p < 0.01). Conclusion This study provides an update on the prevalence of bullying perpetration and victimization among autistic adolescents, however, the influence of factors such as socialization and mental health on bullying behaviors needs exploration.