Longitudinal Associations Between Sexual Victimization and Substance Misuse Among High School Youth in Colorado

Association between early sexual initiation and forced sexual intercourse with polysubstance use among adolescents: Findings from a population-based study

Substance use among adolescents in the United States is a significant public health concern. Despite the use of single substances among adolescents being rare, existing literature focuses on single, rather than the more common polysubstance use (PSU). Furthermore, the relationship between early sexual initiation (ESI), forced sexual intercourse, and PSU is underexplored. This study addresses this gap in the literature by examining this intersection. Data for this study came from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the sample was comprised of 17,033 adolescents aged 14-18. Models were built sequentially using descriptive, bivariate, and finally complementary log-log models to evaluate these associations, while controlling for symptoms of depression, poor mental health during COVID-19, parental monitoring, and demographic characteristics. Of the 17,033 adolescents examined, 18.7 % engaged in PSU, 21.6 % engaged in ESI, and 8.5 % also reported experiencing forced sexual intercourse. In the final model, adolescents who engaged in ESI had more than fourfold higher odds of engaging in PSU when compared to their counterparts who did not engage in ESI (AOR = 4.24, p < .001, 95 % CI = 3.75-4.79). History of forced sexual intercourse was associated with 1.34 times higher odds of engaging in PSU. These results underscore that ESI is significantly associated with increased risk of forced sexual intercourse and PSU. This study highlights the need of future research to uncover the psychological pathways linking ESI, forced sexual intercourse, and PSU.

Outcomes Associated with Adolescent Dating and Sexual Violence Victimization: A Systematic Review of School-Based Literature

Dating and sexual violence (DSV) is a common occurrence among school aged youth and has been associated with numerous harmful long-term outcomes. The goal of this article is to better understand the range of outcomes associated with DSV during youth and adolescence. This systematic review consists of 28 school-based studies from 20 journals discussing outcomes of youth experiences of DSV. Results demonstrate significant associations between DSV victimization and mental health symptoms, substance use, sexual health, academic, and social outcomes. To better understand this issue, this article recommends that schools offer additional training for staff on recognizing DSV. Additionally, improved research is needed in this area including surveys that are inclusive of diverse student identities and include more comprehensive measures of DSV, and additional research on DSV explicitly focused on minoritized groups.

Association between Sexual Violence Victimization and Electronic Vaping Product Use among Adolescents: Findings from a Population-based Study

BACKGROUND

Although studies have investigated the association between sexual violence (SV) victimization and substance use, few studies have examined the association between SV victimization and electronic vaping product (EVP) use among adolescents in the United States. The objective of this study was to examine the cross-sectional association between SV victimization and EVP use among adolescents.

METHODS

Data were pooled from the 2017 and 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analytic sample of 28,135 adolescents (51.2% female) was analyzed using binary logistic regression. The outcome variable investigated was EVP use, and the main explanatory variable was SV victimization.

RESULTS

Of the 28,135 adolescents, the prevalence of past 30-day EVP use and SV victimization was 22.7% and 10.8%, respectively. Controlling for other factors, adolescents who experienced SV had 1.52 times higher odds of being EVP users when compared to their counterparts who did not experience SV (AOR = 1.52, p < .001, 95% CI = 1.27-1.82). Other factors associated with EVP use included cyberbullying victimization, symptoms of depression, and current use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana.

CONCLUSIONS

Experiencing SV was associated with EVP use. Future studies that employ longitudinal designs may offer more insight into the mechanisms underlying the association between SV victimization and EVP use. In addition, school-based interventions that focus on sexual violence prevention and reducing substance use among adolescents are warranted.