Sexual minority adolescents at higher risk for physical, sexual violence
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Sexual minority adolescents were consistently more likely to report physical and/or sexual violence compared with heterosexuals, according to a national survey of nearly 30,000 adolescents.
Theodore L. Caputi, MPH, a research consultant at Harvard University Medical School, and colleagues analyzed data from the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in 2015 and 2017 and found that sexual minority adolescents were more likely than heterosexual respondents to report physical violence committed by a romantic partner (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] = 1.97; 95% CI, 1.65-2.34) and sexual assault committed by anyone (aRR = 2.10; 95% CI, 1.68-2.58) in the preceding 12 months.
“We know that both sexual and physical violence places an enormous burden on patients' physical, emotional and mental health, particularly among adolescents and young adults,” Caputi told Healio. “By reporting on the extent to which LGBTQ adolescents face violence in their everyday lives, we hope this paper will serve as a call to action for all individuals working with youth to enforce policies that reduce violence and to make necessary resources available for LGBTQ adolescents who have been victims of violence.”
The researchers included 28,811 respondents from the 2015 and 2017 YRBS. Survey participants were asked if they had experienced any of three types of physical violence — physical fights anywhere in the past year; physical fights in the last year at school; and physical violence committed by a romantic partner in the last year. They were also asked about two types of sexual violence — forced intercourse throughout their entire lifetime; and sexual assault by a romantic partner in the past year. In 2017, an additional question was added to the survey, asking participants if they were the victim of sexual assault committed by anyone in the past year.
Of the 12% of adolescents who identified as a sexual minority, 12% reported being the victim of physical violence from a partner, 27.6% had engaged in a physical fight and 18% had experienced forced sexual intercourse.
“Violence is, unfortunately, a commonplace aspect of LGBTQ adolescents' lives,” Caputi said. “Physicians and parents should work together to reduce violence against LGBTQ adolescents in their communities by fostering accepting and safe environments for all children, regardless of sexual orientation.”
Bisexual youths were at “a particularly elevated risk” for violence, especially when it came to physical violence committed by a romantic partner (adjusted RR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.82-2.67) and sexual assault committed by anyone (aRR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.76-3.10). Overall, 14.2% of bisexuals reported they had endured physical violence by a romantic partner and 23.7% of bisexuals reported sexual assault by anyone.
The study showed that sexual minority female adolescents were also at an elevated risk for physical violence compared with heterosexual females. This included engaging in physical violence anywhere (aRR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.53-1.96) and engaging in physical violence on school property (aRR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.49-2.43). Sexual minority male adolescents had a higher risk for sexual assault (aRR, 4.64; 95% CI, 2.97-6.84) and a higher risk for forced intercourse (aRR, 4.70; 95% CI, 3.40-6.32).
“Physicians may consider heightening screening for LGBTQ adolescents and formalizing procedures to connect patients affected by violence to evidence-based resources,” he said. “Additionally, physicians should become advocates for evidence-based policies and programs targeting victims of violence.” – by Ken Downey Jr.
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts