Associations of Relationship Experiences, Dating Violence, Sexual Harassment, and Assault With Alcohol Use Among Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents.

W J Kiekens,L Baams,R J Watson,J N Fish

doi:10.1177/08862605211001469

Abstract

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents report higher rates of dating violence victimization compared with their heterosexual and cisgender peers. Research on dating violence often neglects diversity in sexual and gender identities and is limited to experiences in relationships. Further, given that dating violence and alcohol use are comorbid, research on experiences of dating violence could provide insights into alcohol use disparities among SGM adolescents. We aimed to map patterns of relationship experiences, sexual and physical dating violence, and sexual and physical assault and explored differences in these experiences among SGM adolescents. Further, we examined how these patterns explained alcohol use. We used a U.S. non-probability national web-based survey administered to 13–17-year-old SGM adolescents (N = 12,534). Using latent class analyses, four patterns were identified: low relationship experience, dating violence and harassment and assault (72.0%), intermediate dating experiences, sexual harassment, and assault and low levels of dating violence (13.1%), high dating experiences, dating violence, and sexual assault (8.6%), and high dating experiences, dating violence, and sexual harassment and assault (6.3%). Compared to lesbian and gay adolescents, bisexual adolescents reported more experiences with dating, dating violence, and sexual assault, whereas heterosexual adolescents reported fewer experiences with dating, dating violence, and sexual harassment and assault. Compared to cisgender boys, cisgender girls, transgender boys, and non-binary/assigned male at birth adolescents were more likely to experience dating violence inside and outside of relationship contexts. Experiences of dating, dating violence, and sexual harassment and assault were associated with both drinking frequency and heavy episodic drinking. Together, the findings emphasize the relevance of relationship experiences when studying dating violence and how dating violence and sexual harassment and assault might explain disparities in alcohol use.

Highlights

Sexual and physical dating violence is recognized as a public health problem by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2014) and is related to risk behaviors, such as alcohol use (Kaukinen, 2014; Temple et al, 2013)
Compared to lesbian and gay adolescents, we found that bisexual adolescents had more dating experiences, experiences with sexual and physical dating violence, and sexual assault
In our sample, all heterosexual adolescents identified as a gender minority, this effect can be interpreted as heterosexual gender minorities having a lower risk of physical dating violence, and sexual harassment and assault than lesbian and gay adolescents

Summary

Introduction

Sexual and physical dating violence is recognized as a public health problem by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2014) and is related to risk behaviors, such as alcohol use (Kaukinen, 2014; Temple et al, 2013). Research on dating violence is often limited to experiences in romantic relationships, which oftentimes does not capture experiences with sexual harassment and assault outside of romantic relationships. Because dating violence is a potential risk factor for alcohol use (Kidd et al, 2018), examining these experiences among SGM adolescents could provide insights into known alcohol use disparities among and between SGM adolescents (Mereish, 2019). We explored differences in patterns of dating experiences, sexual and physical dating violence, and experiences of sexual harassment and assault among SGM adolescents. We examined whether these patterns explained differences in alcohol use between SGM adolescents

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