Childhood sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, revictimization, and coping among sexual minority women.

BACKGROUND: Compared with heterosexual women, sexual minority women experience higher rates and greater severity of sexual victimization. Little is known about how childhood sexual abuse (CSA), adult sexual assault (ASA), and revictimization impact coping in this population. Few studies have examined the effects of recency, developmental stage, and revictimization on coping. OBJECTIVE: To improve psychosocial outcomes following sexual victimization, it is important to understand whether different patterns of exposure differentially impact coping over time. To do so, we investigated associations between CSA, ASA, and revictimization (both CSA and ASA) and adult sexual minority women's coping strategies. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Data are from a longitudinal community-based sample of 513 sexual minority women of diverse ages and races/ethnicities. METHODS: Participants reported CSA (

Mental health and substance use among sexual minority women who report childhood sexual abuse: A systematic literature review.

OBJECTIVE: A growing body of literature provides evidence that sexual minority women (SMW; e.g., lesbian, bisexual) are at greater risk of negative mental health and substance use outcomes than are heterosexual women. While minority stress may partially explain these disparities, it does not fully account for them. Therefore, it is necessary to identify how other risk factors (i.e., childhood sexual abuse [CSA]) contribute to SMW's increased risk of negative mental health and substance use outcomes. METHOD: We conducted a systematic literature review to identify and synthesize the state of knowledge about CSA and mental health and substance use outcomes among SMW. Two independent reviewers screened 347 articles identified in searches of five databases (Web of Science, PsycInfo, CINAHL, PubMed, and Embase). Eligible articles were peer-reviewed, reported quantitative or mixed methods results focused on mental health or substance use outcomes among adult SMW with a history of CSA. RESULTS: Twenty-four papers were included in the review. Findings clearly show that SMW report higher rates of CSA than heterosexual women. Findings also suggest that CSA may mediate the relationship between minority sexual identity and some negative outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Future studies should include minority stress factors, a broader range of mental health outcomes (apart from substance use and suicide), and more nuanced measures of CSA. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Intimate Partner Violence Among Sexual Minority Women: A Scoping Review.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is prevalent among sexual minority women (SMW). However, compared to IPV research with heterosexual women and other LGBTQ+ population groups, SMW are understudied. We conducted a scoping review to examine the current state of knowledge about IPV among SMW, and to identify gaps and directions for future research. A search of Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases returned 1,807 papers published between January 2000 and December 2021. After independent reviewers screened these papers for relevance, 99 were included in the final review. Papers were included if they used quantitative methods and reported IPV data on adult SMW separately from other groups. Findings confirmed high rates of IPV among SMW and highlighted groups with particular vulnerabilities, including non-monosexual women and SMW of color. Risk factors for IPV in this population include prior trauma and victimization, psychological and emotional concerns, substance use, and minority stressors. Outcomes include poor mental and physical health. Findings related to the effects of minority stressors on IPV and comparisons across sexual minority groups were inconsistent. Future research should focus on IPV perpetration; mechanisms underlying risk for IPV, including structural-level risk factors; and understanding differences among SMW subgroups.

Social cognitive mechanisms between psychological maltreatment and adolescent suicide ideation: Race/ethnicity and gender as moderators.

Childhood psychological maltreatment is a well-studied predictor of adolescent suicide ideation, while social support is a protective factor, but little is known about social-cognitive mechanisms that may link psychological maltreatment to suicide ideation. Further, given the impact that culture, race/ethnicity, and gender can have on social relationships and suicide-related risk factors, these mechanisms may differ across demographic groups. Objective: The current study examined whether psychological maltreatment predicts suicide ideation through self-perception of social competence, and whether this relationship differs depending on race/ethnicity and gender. Method: We analyzed a racially diverse, longitudinal sample of adolescents at risk for maltreatment (N = 765). Self-report measures of lifetime maltreatment were completed at age 12 and combined with data from Child Protective Services. Youth also completed measures of perceived social competence at age 12. Indicators of suicide ideation were taken at ages 8, 12, 16, and 18. Results: Perceived social competence scores differed significantly between children who were psychologically maltreated and those who were not, but these differences were nonsignificant for physical and sexual abuse. Self-perception of social competence fully mediated the relationship between childhood psychological maltreatment and suicide ideation for White girls and boys. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that poor perceived social competence is uniquely associated with psychological maltreatment, and White adolescents may develop suicide ideation through specific mechanisms involving social cognition. Certain youth may benefit from interventions improving social cognitions and promoting healthy relationships to prevent suicide ideation during adolescence.

The Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women Couples Study: Protocol for a Study of Stress, Hazardous Drinking, and Intimate Partner Aggression Among Sexual Minority Women and Their Partners.

BACKGROUND: Large gaps exist in research on alcohol use and intimate partner aggression (IPA) among sexual minority women (SMW; eg, lesbian, bisexual). Dyadic research with SMW and their partners can illuminate how couple-level factors operate in conjunction with individual-level factors to shape well-being in this understudied and vulnerable population. Given the traditionally gendered lens with which women are primarily viewed as victims and men as perpetrators, understanding the dynamics of IPA in same-sex female couples can also advance research and practice related to IPA more generally. OBJECTIVE: Guided by a recent extension of the minority stress model that includes relational (couple-level) sexual minority stress and the I-cubed theoretical perspective on IPA, we will collect individual and dyadic data to better characterize the links between hazardous drinking and IPA among SMW and their partners. First, this study aims to examine the associations among minority stress, hazardous drinking, and IPA in SMW and their partners. Minority stressors will be assessed as both individual and couple-level constructs, thus further extending the minority stress model. Second, we aim to examine potential mediators and moderators of the associations among minority stress, hazardous drinking, and IPA. Finally, we aim to test models guided by the I-cubed theoretical perspective that includes instigating (eg, relationship conflict), impelling (eg, negative affect and trait anger), and inhibiting (eg, relationship commitment and emotion regulation) or disinhibiting (eg, hazardous drinking) influences on IPA perpetration. METHODS: This United States National Institutes of Health-funded project will draw from a large and diverse cohort of SMW currently enrolled in the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women (CHLEW) study-a 21-year longitudinal study of risk factors and consequences associated with SMW hazardous drinking. SMW currently enrolled in the CHLEW and their partners will be invited to participate in the CHLEW Couples Study. By analyzing dyadic data using actor-partner interdependence models, we will examine how each partner's minority stress, hazardous drinking, and IPA experiences are associated with both her own and her partner's minority stress, hazardous drinking, and IPA perpetration. RESULTS: Data collection began in February 2021 and will likely continue through 2023. Initial results should be available by mid-2024. CONCLUSIONS: The CHLEW Couples Study will fill important gaps in knowledge and provide the basis for future research aimed at clarifying the causal pathways linking hazardous drinking and IPA among SMW. This will support the development of culturally appropriate targeted individual and dyadic prevention and intervention strategies. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/28080.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Bullying: Review and Implications for Intervention.

Despite increased research on bullying over the past few decades, researchers still have little understanding of how bullying differentially affects racial and ethnic minority and immigrant youth. To facilitate efforts to better evaluate the impact of bullying among racial and ethnic minority youth and improve interventions, we integrated research from multiple disciplines and conducted a systematic search to review relevant cross-cultural research on the prevalence of bullying, risk and protective factors, and differences in behaviors and outcomes associated with bullying in these populations. Studies measuring differences in bullying prevalence by racial and ethnic groups are inconclusive, and discrepancies in findings may be explained by differences in how bullying is measured and the impact of school and social environments. Racial and ethnic minorities and immigrants are disproportionately affected by contextual-level risk factors associated with bullying (e.g., adverse community, home, and school environments), which may moderate the effects of individual-level predictors of bullying victimization or perpetration (e.g., depressive symptoms, empathy, hostility, etc.) on involvement and outcomes. Minority youth may be more likely to perpetrate bullying, and are at much higher risk for poor health and behavioral outcomes as a result of bias-based bullying. At the same time, racial and ethnic minorities and immigrants may be protected against bullying involvement and its negative consequences as a result of strong ethnic identity, positive cultural and family values, and other resilience factors. Considering these findings, we evaluate existing bullying interventions and prevention programs and propose directions for future research.