Interpersonal Violence Victimization Experiences of Middle School Youth: An Exploration by Gender and Sexual/Romantic Attraction

ABSTRACT

Sexual minority youth (SMY) are at increased risk for interpersonal violence victimization compared to heterosexual youth. The current study examined how self-reported victimization (i.e., bullying, sexual harassment and dating violence) among middle school youth varied as a function of sexual/romantic attraction as well as gender identity. Cross-sectional data were gathered from students at seven middle schools in New England (n = 2245). Mean comparisons with post-hoc Tukey tests determined differences in rates of past 6-month and lifetime interpersonal violence victimization by sexual/romantic attraction and the intersection of gender and attraction. As hypothesized, interpersonal violence victimization among middle school youth differed as a function of sexual/romantic attraction as well as gender. To date, most research has focused on older samples, particularly high-school youth and young adults. These data are consistent with these prior studies documenting increased risk for interpersonal violence victimization among youth who indicate same-gender attraction but add to the literature in demonstrating the expansive forms of peer victimization that same-gender-attracted youth already experience by early adolescence. Given that victimization is associated acutely and longitudinally with many deleterious outcomes, including poorer mental health and increased risk for subsequent victimization, greater structural supports are needed for early adolescent SMY.

KEYWORDS:

• Interpersonal violence
• sexual minority
• victimization
• bullying
• middle school

Acknowledgement

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author statement

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Notes

1. See NIH abstract: https://reporter.nih.gov/search/4GG3M0P910CfVHG4WXSI7Q/project-details/9535689 and clinical trials: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03473067.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control [U01CE002651]; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [K23-AA028513].