The Associations Between Sexual Victimization and Health Outcomes Among LGBQA College Students: Examining the Moderating Role of Social Support

Abstract

Prior studies have demonstrated that sexual minority college students are two to four times more likely to experience sexual victimization (e.g., sexual assault and/or unwanted or uncomfortable sexual experiences) compared to their heterosexual counterparts. However, research that has focused on the detrimental effects of sexual victimization on health outcomes has paid more attention to heterosexual college samples and community-based adults. Understanding how sexual victimization influences mental health and substance use outcomes among lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and asexual (LGBQA) emerging adults in college is warranted given that this developmental period represents a critical risk period for trauma exposure, risk behavior, and psychological distress. Thus, the current study tested how sexual victimization was associated with depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms among 234 diverse college students who self-identified as LGBQA. Additionally, social support was tested as a moderator. Findings indicated that sexual victimization was related to greater depressive symptoms, PTSD symptoms, and AUD symptoms. In addition, perceived social support moderated the relation between sexual victimization and depressive symptoms, however, in a direction contrary to hypotheses. In particular, higher sexual victimization was associated with greater depressive symptoms among LGBQA students with higher levels of social support ( b = .29, p = .00), and was not significant among LGBQA students with lower levels of social support ( b = .13, p = .26). The current study highlights the need to consider the detrimental effects of sexual victimization on health outcomes among LGBQA college students, as well as the mechanisms through which social support may be influencing these relations.

A systematic review and meta‐analysis investigating the impact of childhood adversities on the mental health of LGBT+ youth

“…Studies measuring victimisation as a distinct category, such as combining being teased or bullied, hit or beaten up, treated unfairly and public ridicule due to actual or perceived sexual minority status, had a range of 4% (Lowery et al., 2020 ) to 69% (Veale et al., 2017 ). Six studies examined sexual abuse (Atteberry et al., 2020 ; De Laney et al., 2020 ; Donahue et al., 2017 ; D’Augelli et al., 2006 ; Hatchel et al., 2018 ; Zhao et al., 2020 ). Nine percent (D’Augelli et al., 2006 ) to 48% (Hatchel et al., 2018 ) of LGBT+ youth samples reported sexual assault and unwanted or uncomfortable sexual experiences (e.g., rape, attempted rape or made to perform sexual acts).…”

“…Three studies reported PTSD symptoms as a result of experiencing ACEs, where 9% (D’Augelli et al., 2006 ) to 33.9% (Duarte et al., 2018 ) met the criteria for a diagnosis. Sexual victimisation explained 23.3% of variance in PTSD disorder (DeLaney et al., 2020 ). Six studies looked at alcohol use, abuse or dependence.…”

“…Four studies pertained to excessive alcohol use (Birkett et al., 2009 ; Button et al., 2016 ; Huebner et al., 2015 ; Meriesh et al., 2017 ), with 1.4% of one sample binge drinking almost daily (Huebner et al., 2015 ). Two studies reported significant correlations between ACEs and alcohol use disorder (DeLaney et al., 2020 ; Donahue et al., 2017 ). Lastly, one of the included studies reported direct correlations between exposure to victimisation and eating disorder symptoms, ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (Donahue et al., 2017 ).…”

“…of variance in PTSD disorder (DeLaney et al, 2020). Six studies looked at alcohol use, abuse or dependence.…”

Youth Characteristics Associated With Sexual Violence Perpetration Among Transgender Boys and Girls, Cisgender Boys and Girls, and Nonbinary Youth

“…Indeed, nearly half (47%) of gender minority individuals experience sexual violence in their lifetimes. 5 , 6 Furthermore, studies 7 , 8 of gender minority college students found that these individuals had higher levels of SV trauma-related sequalae, including posttraumatic stress disorder, than their cisgender peers.…”