Defeating Bullying Victimization: The Relationship Between Extracurricular Involvement and Bullying Among Students with Disabilities

Bullying is a social epidemic receiving ample attention across the United States. Students who have disabilities are student population that experiences higher rates of bullying victimization in comparison to other student demographics. The following dissertation analyzes the relationship between participating in extracurricular activities and bullying victimization rates and outcomes among students who have disabilities. This dissertation employs three studies. Study One is a review of literature exploring the gaps in past research pertaining to the relationship between extracurricular involvement and bullying victimization among the general student population and students who have disabilities. Study two employs the National Crime Victimization Survey – School Crime Supplement (NCVS/SCS) in order to quantitatively explore if extracurricular activity involvement decreases the number of times students with disabilities experience bullying. Study three also uses the NCVS/SCS dataset in order to quantitatively explore if participating in extracurricular activities influences the amount of negative impact that bullying has on academic performance, social relationships, self-esteem, and physical health among students who have disabilities. Implications for social work and future directions are discussed after each study.