Polyvictimization prevalence rates for sexual and gender minority adolescents: Breaking down the silos of victimization research.

Objective: To identify lifetime polyvictimization rates by gender identity and sexual orientation, for a national sample of sexual and gender minority adolescents. Method: An anonymous, incentivized, online survey was completed by 1177 sexual and gender minority adolescents who were currently enrolled in middle or high school (14 to 19-years-old). Results: Most of the sample experienced some form of lifetime physical assault (81.3%), bullying victimization (88.8%), sexual victimization (80.6%), child maltreatment (78.8%), property victimization (80.1%), and indirect or witnessed forms of victimization (75.0%). The overall rate of polyvictimization for the sample was 41.3%. Genderqueer assigned male at birth (65.4%), transgender female (63.2%), transgender male (57.4%), genderqueer assigned female at birth (55.0%), and cisgender female (39.3%) adolescents were significantly more likely to be lifetime polyvictimized than their cisgender male counterparts (31.1%). Additionally, pansexual (56.8%), queer (52.0%), questioning (47.0%), and bisexual (45.8%) participants were significantly more likely to be lifetime polyvictimized than gay-identified peers (32.7%). Conclusions: This is the first study to identify lifetime polyvictimization rates for sexual and gender minority adolescents. These findings call into question the practice of studying single forms of victimization for this population as if they occur in isolation to one another. Future research is needed to identify the shared risk and protective factors across victimization subtypes to inform prevention and intervention strategies for this vulnerable adolescent population. This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice 2 Final Summary Overview: Polyvictimization Prevalence Rates for Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents: Breaking Down the Silos of Victimization Research, National Institute of Justice Award Number: 2013-IJ-CX-0029 Purpose: Polyvictimization is a profound public health problem, with 10.2% of 15 to 17-year-old adolescents classified as lifetime polyvictims nationally1. Lifetime polyvictimization is defined as experiencing fifteen or more different forms of victimization by mid to late adolescence.1 Polyvictimized youth report higher rates of psychological distress, post-traumatic stress, depression, and emotional dysregulation in comparison to their non-polyvictimized peers.2,3,4,5 To date, no national studies have established polyvictimization prevalence rates for sexual and gender minority adolescents (SGMA). To begin addressing this gap, we aimed to (1) identify overall prevalence rates for six victimization domains (physical assault, bullying victimization, sexual victimization, child maltreatment, property victimization, and indirect or witnessed forms of victimization) and fortytwo victimization subtypes by gender identity and sexual orientation, (2) examine the interrelationships among the six victimization domains, and (3) identify lifetime polyvictimization rates stratified by demographic factors. We examined SGMA victimization through the conceptual lens of polyvictimization, addressing the fragmentation that is endemic in the field and developing a more comprehensive view of this social problem. Project Subjects, Design, and Methods: Participant (N = 1177) demographics are presented in Table 4 (see p. 13). Eligibility criteria included: 14-19 years old, sexual or gender minority identity, United States residence, middle or high school enrollment, and English literacy. Participants were recruited through Facebook, twelve SGMA organizations across the United States, and a promotional video hosted on the study’s website (www.speakout.berkeley.edu), Facebook page, and YouTube page. The study utilized an anonymous internet-based survey, with data collection from April to June 2015. Study procedures were approved by University of California, Berkeley’s Institutional Review This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice 3 Final Summary Overview: Polyvictimization Prevalence Rates for Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents: Breaking Down the Silos of Victimization Research, National Institute of Justice Award Number: 2013-IJ-CX-0029 Board, including a parental waiver of consent to reduce potential harm from sexual and gender identity disclosure to parents. Participants were eligible for a $15 gift card upon survey completion. Gift cards were processed by a separate vendor to preserve the anonymity of all participants. Adapted versions of the Abbreviated Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire – 2nd Revision6 (AJVQ) and Swearer Bullying Survey7 (SBS) were used to assess polyvictimization. AJVQ assessed lifetime prevalence of 38 forms of victimization across five subscales. AJVQ was modified to assess lifetime exposure to child maltreatment and sexual victimization for 18 to 19-year-old participants. A binary variable was created for each AJVQ victimization type to assess lifetime exposure. SBS was adapted to assess lifetime prevalence of four forms of bullying victimization: verbal, relational, physical, and cyber. A binary variable was created for each form of bullying indicating lifetime exposure. To ensure we did not over estimate the number of lifetime types of victimization, we excluded four AJVQ items that overlapped with verbal (one item) and physical (three items) bullying victimization when perpetrated by a peer. Polyvictimization was calculated by creating a count variable of the total number of lifetime victimizations across the 38 AJVQ and four SBS items (max range: 0 to 42). A cut-off of 15 or more victimization experiences was used to determine lifetime polyvictimized status,1 with participants also divided into low (15 to 19 types) and high (20+ types) polyvictimized groups. Age, sexual orientation, gender identity, assigned birth sex, and race/ethnicity were selfreported, with identity categories drawn from previous SGMA research8,9 and refined by our SGMA advisory board during the survey development phase. Urbanicity was assessed using Rural-Urban Commuting Area Codes.10 Descriptive analyses were conducted for polyvictimization and victimization subtypes stratified by gender identity and sexual orientation. Bivariate logit analyses were used to identify This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice 4 Final Summary Overview: Polyvictimization Prevalence Rates for Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents: Breaking Down the Silos of Victimization Research, National Institute of Justice Award Number: 2013-IJ-CX-0029 significant demographic differences in polyvictimization and victimization subtype rates. Proportions were examined to identify the interrelationships among the six victimization domains. Stata 14 was used for all analyses. Key Findings: Overall Prevalence Rates by Victimization Subtype Table 1 (see p. 8) provides a complete list of overall lifetime victimization rates by domains and subtypes. Most of the sample (81.3%; n = 957) experienced some form of physical assault in their lifetime. Over 80% (n = 914) of the sample experienced some form of sexual victimization during their lifetime, with 69.4% (n = 785) reporting at least one experience of lifetime sexual assault. Child maltreatment was also a common experience, with 78.8% (n = 923) of participants reporting some type of maltreatment in their lifetime. Most of the sample experienced some form of property victimization (80.1%; n = 939) during their lifetime. Lastly, 75.0% of the sample (n = 830) reported at least one type of indirect or witnessed victimization. Victimization Subtype Rates by Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Table 1 provides rates and significant differences for each victimization domain and subtype by gender identity, using “cisgender male” as the reference category for all statistical comparisons. Genderqueer (AMAB) participants were significantly more likely to be victimized across four different domains (physical assault, child maltreatment, property victimization, and indirect or witnessed victimization) and 20 subtypes. Genderqueer (AFAB) participants were significantly more likely to be victimized across three domains (physical assault, child maltreatment, and indirect or witnessed victimization) and 21 subtypes. Transgender male participants were significantly more likely to experience 11 victimization subtypes. Transgender female participants were significantly more likely to experience three victimization subtypes and less likely to experience any sexual assault. Lastly, cisgender female participants were This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice 5 Final Summary Overview: Polyvictimization Prevalence Rates for Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents: Breaking Down the Silos of Victimization Research, National Institute of Justice Award Number: 2013-IJ-CX-0029 significantly more likely to be victimized in a single domain (child maltreatment) and across 10 victimization subtypes. Additionally, cisgender female participants were significantly less likely to experience four victimization subtypes: lifetime genital assault by a sibling, bias-motivated ph