Dating violence victimization disparities across sexual orientation of a population-based sample of adolescents

Petit, M.-P., Blais, M., & Hébert, M. (2021). Dating violence victimization disparities across sexual orientation of a population-based sample of adolescents: An adverse childhood experiences perspective. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, Sep 2021. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000518

Abstract: Sexual minority youth are more vulnerable to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and several associated negative consequences. It remains unknown whether such vulnerability explain their excess risk for teen dating violence victimization (TDVV) documented previously. It is also unclear whether risk and protective factors associated with TDVV in the general adolescent population are also shared by sexual minority youth. Using longitudinal data from a representative sample of Quebec adolescents in a relationship (n = 4,515), the current study aimed to (a) test whether the differential exposure to risk factors account for TDVV disparities, and (b) to determine whether established TDVV correlates vary by sexual attraction and lifetime sexual partners’ gender. Multilevel models revealed that participants with multigender sexual attraction or sexual partners were at increased risk for TDVV and nearly all risk factors examined, including ACEs, compared with different-gender and, to a lesser extent, same-gender peers. The association between sexual orientation and TDVV remained significant when ACEs were added, but not when all other risk and protective factors were accounted for. The patterns of risk and protection factors related to TDVV greatly differed across sexual orientation. The only common correlate of TDVV across groups was TDV perpetration. ACEs were associated with TDVV across all sexual orientation groups, but not after adjusting for other risk and protective factors. These findings suggest that negative consequences of ACEs better explain TDVV disparities than ACEs alone. Trauma-informed interventions aiming at building resilience among youth, especially among multigender groups, might support dating violence prevention.