Bullying and Identity Development: Insights from Autistic and Non-autistic College Students.
Chronic bullying can fuel self-acceptance and autistic pride by college, so honor that growth while still protecting younger students.
01Research in Context
What this study did
DeNigris et al. (2018) asked autistic and non-autistic college students about past bullying.
They used an online survey to learn how bullying related to identity and self-acceptance.
The team wanted to know if long-term bullying could ever help autistic students feel proud of who they are.
What they found
Autistic students said bullying felt less severe now than when they were younger.
Those who faced years of bullying reported higher self-acceptance and a stronger autistic identity.
In short, chronic bullying was linked to resilience, not just damage.
How this fits with other research
Deniz et al. (2026) saw the opposite pattern in teens: chronic bullying forecast worse mental health at age 17.
The clash is explained by age. High school pain can fade by college, where students reframe past harm as proof of survival.
Bitsika et al. (2022) bridge the gap. They show that bullied autistic secondary-school boys with high resilience skip school less often, hinting that resilience skills start earlier.
Pearson et al. (2023) add that many autistic adults still view victimization as normal. Danielle’s finding helps explain why some move from “I deserved it” to “I survived it.”
Why it matters
You can validate college clients who say, “Bullying made me stronger,” while still fighting bullying in teens.
Ask older students to list past coping wins. This simple act can speed the shift from victim to proud autistic adult.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Reduced cognitive empathy may put autistic people at risk for bullying. We compared interpretations of bullying provided by 22 autistic and 15 non-autistic college students. Autistic (and non-autistic) students reported less severe bullying in college relative to earlier in development. Chronic bullying was associated with improvements in self-descriptions and self-acceptance. Autistic students who were chronically bullied were more likely to self-identify as autistic when asked to explain their disability. Autistic and non-autistic students demonstrated similar levels of cognitive empathy, providing no evidence that a "double empathy problem" contributes to bullying for all autistic individuals. Findings suggest that recovery from bullying can contribute to resilience and that autistic people gain insights about bullying and how to overcome it with development.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3383-y