The Stability of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration From Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood in Sexual Minorities

Prevalence, Determinants, and Trends in the Experience and Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence Among a Cohort of Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver, Canada (2017-2022)

Purpose: Longitudinal data on the experience and perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) are limited. We estimated the prevalence of past 6-month (P6M) physical and/or sexual IPV (hereafter IPV) experience and perpetration, identified their determinants, and assessed temporal trends, including the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic. Methods: We used data from the Engage Cohort Study (2017-2022) of GBM recruited using respondent-driven sampling in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) for determinants and self-reported P6M IPV were estimated using generalized estimating equations, accounting for attrition (inverse probability of censoring weights) and relevant covariates. Longitudinal trends of IPV were also assessed. Results: Between 2017 and 2022, 1455 partnered GBM (median age 32 years, 82% gay, and 71% White) had at least one follow-up visit. At baseline, 31% of participants experienced IPV in their lifetime and 17% reported ever perpetrating IPV. During follow-up, IPV experience was more common (6%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5%-7%) than perpetration (4%, 95% CI: 3%-5%). Factors associated with P6M IPV experience included prior IPV experience (aPR: 2.68, 95% CI: 1.76-4.08), lower education (aPR: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.32-4.04), and substance use (injection aPR: 5.05, 95% CI: 2.54-10.05, non-injection aPR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.00-2.82). Similar factors were associated with IPV perpetration. IPV was stable over time; periods of COVID-19 restrictions were not associated with IPV changes in this cohort. Conclusion: Prevalence of IPV was high among GBM. Determinants related to marginalization were associated with an increased risk of IPV. Interventions should address these determinants to reduce IPV and improve health.

Measurement of Adolescent Dating Violence in Sexual Minority Youth: A Scoping Review

Effectively addressing adolescent dating violence rests on the quality of its measurement, as that has substantial implications for our understanding of prevalence, correlates, outcomes. Although dating violence is highly prevalent among sexual minority youth, the state of measurement in this population has scarcely been explored. This scoping review presents information on the measurement of adolescent dating violence in exiting studies conducted with sexual minority youth. Three databases were searched, and the ancestry approach was used to identify relevant literature published in the United States between 1992-2022 that included sexual minority adolescents aged 19 years or younger. Twenty-one articles were identified. Five enrolled entirely sexual minority samples. Sexual minority distribution ranged from 2.1%-100%. All studies operationalized sexual identity as an orientation (not sexual behavior, attraction). Nineteen studies focused on measuring dating violence behavior. Twelve reported on female and male victimization, 4 on female and male perpetration and victimization, 2 on female perpetration and victimization, and 2 on female victimization-only. Most commonly used items were from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (11 studies) and the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory (3 studies). Two studies assessed knowledge of and attitudes toward dating violence. Domains explored included rape myth acceptance, victim empathy, bystander opportunity, and dating abuse knowledge. Only two scales had undergone previous systematic psychometric evaluation. There was no evidence of cross-cultural validation in sexual minority populations. Rigorous research on adolescent dating violence measurement among sexual minority youth is greatly needed and should be given priority among researchers.

Directionality of Dating Violence Among High School Youth: Rates and Correlates by Gender and Sexual Orientation

Sexual minority adolescents are at greater risk for experiencing teen dating violence (TDV) in their dating relationships. Although adolescents in dating relationships often report experiencing and perpetrating various forms of TDV, the directionality of TDV based on youth's reported gender and sexual orientation is not known. A sample of 10th-grade students (N = 1,622) recruited from high schools in the Northeastern United States completed assessments of TDV victimization and perpetration and reported their past-month heavy alcohol use and marijuana use. Sexual minority girls (58%) and boys (36%) were more likely to experience TDV than heterosexual girls (38%) and boys (25%), respectively. Sexual minority boys were less likely, although the confidence intervals included one, to engage in dual-role physical TDV (odds ratio [OR] = 0.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.00, 1.26]) and threatening TDV (OR = 0.14, 95% CI [0.00, 1.02]), and instead were more likely to be victimized. In contrast, the profiles of TDV were similar for girls, with sexual minority girls only being more likely than heterosexual girls to report dual-role physical TDV (OR = 2.23, 95% CI [1.07, 4.66]). Compared with unidirectional TDV, bidirectional TDV was significantly associated with sexual minority girls' substance use, but not with heterosexual girls' substance use. Sexual minority youth report higher rates of TDV, with sexual minority boys being distinctly at-risk for being victimized within their dating relationships. Engagement in both TDV victimization and perpetration was distinctly associated with substance use for sexual minority girls, highlighting the need for integrated prevention efforts and support.

Informal and Formal Mentoring of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth: A Systematic Review

Research demonstrates that mentoring relationships can promote positive outcomes for youth across numerous domains, a topic of importance to school social workers. Whereas most mentoring research to date has been conducted with heterosexual cisgender youth, there is a growing body of literature that examines mentoring experiences among sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY). The purpose of this article is to conduct a systematic literature review of informal and formal mentoring experiences among SGMY. Results from twelve studies that met inclusion criteria suggested that (1) the majority of SGMY report having a mentor/role model; (2) demographics are generally unrelated to having a mentor; (3) SGMY seek out mentors with certain characteristics; (4) mentors promote positive outcomes across psychosocial, behavioral, and academic domains; and (5) mentors report varying levels of self-efficacy in mentoring SGMY and disparate motivations for becoming a mentor. Several limitations of the extant literature were identified, underscoring the need for methodologically rigorous and more inclusive research. Nevertheless, preliminary research suggests that SGMY benefit from having a mentor and that efforts are needed to safely connect SGMY to high-quality informal or formal mentors.

A Dating Violence Prevention Program for Middle School Youth: A Cluster Randomized Trial

OBJECTIVES

We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial to test the a priori hypothesis that students attending an intervention middle school would be less likely to report physical adolescent relationship abuse (ARA) 1 year later compared with students attending a control school. Secondary objectives were to determine if the intervention reduced substance misuse, bullying, and fighting.

METHODS

Twenty-four Texas public middle schools were matched by the size of student enrollment, number of economically disadvantaged students, and race and ethnicity of the student body and randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 12; 1237 participants) or the control (n = 12; 1531participants) group. The intervention, Fourth R, is a classroom-based curriculum delivered by existing teachers and consists of 21 lessons on injury prevention, substance use, and growth and development.

RESULTS

Participants (50% female) self-reported ethnicity as Hispanic or Latinx (35%), Black or African American (24%), Asian American (17%), White (8%), and multiethnicity or other (16%). Among those who have dated, students in the intervention schools were less likely to report perpetrating physical ARA (intervention = 14.9% versus control = 18.3%) relative to students in the control schools (adjusted odds ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.43-1.00; P = .05). In the overall sample, no significant differences emerged between control and intervention groups with respect to substance misuse, fighting, and bullying.

CONCLUSIONS

The middle school version of Fourth R is effective in reducing physical ARA perpetration over at least 1 year. The intervention did not have an effect on bullying perpetration, physical fighting with peers, and substance misuse. Long-term assessment, especially follow-up that covers the transition to high school, is needed to examine the program benefit on key outcomes.