Alcohol use and intimate partner violence victimization among young adults with a history of perpetration: An ecological momentary assessment study.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health concern among young adults and has shown a consistent association with alcohol use. However, previous research has used cross-sectional and daily diary designs that may fail to pinpoint the effects of alcohol use within several hours of IPV occurring. The present study used novel ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods to investigate the bidirectional effect of alcohol use and IPV victimization among young adults with a history of IPV perpetration. METHODS: One hundred and sixty-eight young adults (age 18-25 years) in a dating relationship who reported IPV perpetration in the past year completed 28 days of randomly prompted EMA surveys (four surveys daily). The effect of alcohol use on IPV victimization and the effect of IPV victimization on alcohol use were examined. RESULTS: The results indicated that alcohol use co-occurs with psychological and physical IPV victimization. Further, alcohol use significantly increased the odds of physical (OR = 4.94; 95% CI = 2.24-10.87) and sexual (OR = 4.66; 95% CI = 1.64-13.22) IPV victimization, but not psychological IPV victimization, in the subsequent EMA survey. Finally, IPV victimization did not significantly increase the odds of reporting alcohol use in the subsequent EMA survey. CONCLUSIONS: Using alcohol is proximally related to IPV victimization among those with a history of IPV perpetration. Intervention efforts would benefit from adapting EMA methods to provide resources the moment they are needed.

Effects of Alcohol Use and Minority Stress on Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration among Transgender and Gender Diverse People.

OBJECTIVE: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is highly prevalent among transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adults. Integrated theories of minority stress and alcohol-related IPV suggest minority stress risk and protective factors should interact with alcohol use to predict IPV, although this has never been examined in TGD adults. Thus, we examined the synergistic influence of alcohol use, minority stress, and TGD community connectedness on IPV perpetration among TGD adults. METHOD: A sample of 137 TGD adults completed a cross-sectional survey assessing minority stressors (i.e., internalized transnegativity, identity outness), TGD community connectedness, alcohol use/problems, and IPV perpetration (i.e., psychological, physical, and gender minority identity-specific abuse). We regressed each form of IPV perpetration on alcohol use/problems and tested the moderating effect of internalized transnegativity, identity outness, and community connectedness on the association between alcohol use/problems and IPV perpetration. RESULTS: The association between alcohol use/problems and all forms of IPV perpetration were moderated by internalized transnegativity and identity outness, but not TGD community connectedness. Alcohol use/problems related to each form of IPV perpetration at low and medium, but not high levels, of identity outness and internalized transnegativity. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol use/problems is an important risk factor for IPV perpetration among TGD adults and this association may be exacerbated by less identity outness. Further, internalized transnegativity might not influence IPV risk at high levels of alcohol use. TGD-affirming IPV prevention programs might focus on reducing alcohol use and related problems while providing a safe and accessible space for TGD individuals at various levels of identity outness.

Same-Day and Next-Day Associations Between Relational Factors and Intimate Partner Violence in Young Adult Couples.

Objective: The prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) is high, with young adults at increased risk. IPV is largely understood as a dyadic process, as it involves both partners and is inherently influenced by the behaviors of both partners. The objective of this study was to examine the proximal influence of relationship satisfaction and conflict on same-day and nextday IPV perpetration among young adult couples. Method: This study used data from young adult couples (N = 172) who completed a 60-day daily-diary design. The Actor Partner Interdependence Model was used to examine whether within- and between-person levels of relationship satisfaction and conflict were associated with same-day and next-day IPV perpetration. Results: Results suggest that high levels of one's own and one's partner's relationship satisfaction was associated with low levels of same-day and next-day psychological IPV. For women, but not men, high levels in their own and their partner's relationship satisfaction were associated with low levels in same-day physical IPV perpetration. Conversely, high levels in one's own and their partner's conflict was associated with high levels of same-day psychological IPV perpetration. For women, but not men, high levels in their partner's conflict were associated with high levels of same-day physical IPV perpetration. Conclusion: Results suggest that relationship dissatisfaction and conflict may be proximal risk factors for IPV perpetration, particularly psychological IPV perpetration, implying these factors may be effective targets for prevention and intervention.

Reactions to Participation in Research on Violence Experiences and Minority Stress Among Sexual and Gender Minority Young Adults.

Given the growing body of research seeking to examine adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and intimate partner violence (IPV) among sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals, Institutional Review Boards must consider whether participating in violence research is emotionally distressing for SGM people. Yet, little research has studied SGM participants' reactions to participating in research on ACEs, IPV, and minority stress. Thus, the current study examined reactions, including negative emotional reactions, to participating in violence research among SGM young adults. In total, 230 participants who self-identified as a sexual minority (30.1% also identified as a gender minority) in a dating relationship completed a cross-sectional assessment on ACEs, IPV (including identity abuse victimization and perpetration), minority stress (i.e., internalized homo/bi/transphobia), and reactions to research participation. Results indicated that participants identifying as a gender minority had significantly higher negative emotional reactions to study participation compared to cisgender participants, but this increase among gender minority individuals was small. In addition, gender minority participants and those with higher minority stress (i.e., internalized trans/bi/homo-negativity) and ACEs reported significantly higher negative emotional reactions to participation. Furthermore, gender minority participants scored worse on a scale indicating appreciation for contributing to research. Finally, reporting IPV victimization and perpetration was not associated with negative emotional reactions. Findings suggest that questions assessing minority stress and negative childhood experiences may be more emotionally salient or stressful for gender minority participants compared to questions measuring IPV.

Social Support as a Buffer of the Association between Sexual Assault and Trauma Symptoms Among Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals.

The prevalence of experiencing sexual assault is alarmingly high among Transgender and Gender Diverse people (TGD; people whose gender identities and/or expressions are not traditionally associated with their sex assigned at birth) and is associated with various mental health sequalae. Perceived social support has been shown to abate the negative outcomes of sexual assault among cisgender individuals, yet little is known about this association among TGD people, especially which provider of support (i.e., family, friends, or significant others) may be most beneficial. To that end, 191 TGD adults were recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk to examine perceived social support as a potential moderator of the association between sexual assault victimization and post-sexual assault trauma symptomology. Results showed an interaction trending toward significance between sexual assault and support from a significant other. Decomposition of this interaction demonstrated that sexual assault was associated with post-assault trauma symptoms when support from a significant other was low (ß = .25, p < .05) but not high (ß = .10, p = .089). The interaction between sexual assault and perceived social support was not significant for perceived support from friends (p = .133) or family (p = .954). Findings highlight the need for additional research on perceived social support as a potential buffering mechanism between sexual assault and post-assault symptomology in TGD people.

Days with and without self-injurious thoughts and behaviors: Impact of childhood maltreatment on adolescent online social networking.

INTRODUCTION: Among adolescents, an increasing rate of interpersonal interactions occurs online. Previous research has shown that interpersonal context exerts a robust impact on suicidal thoughts or behaviors, yet little attention has focused on examining the content of online interactions surrounding self-injurious thoughts or behaviors. As such, the present study sought to compare online social networking behaviors among adolescents on days with and without experiencing self-injurious thoughts or behaviors, as influenced by childhood maltreatment history. METHOD: Adolescents aged 13-18 hospitalized for self-injurious thoughts or behaviors were recruited as part of an ongoing longitudinal study. A subsample (N = 22) of adolescents provided data from their online social networking platforms (i.e., text messages, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). Using a mixed-methods approach, online social networking data on days of experiencing self-injurious thoughts or behaviors and days of not experiencing self-injurious thoughts or behaviors were compared. RESULTS: Results indicate the frequency and content of online social networking messaging do not change by day of self-injurious thoughts or behaviors or history of childhood maltreatment. However, childhood maltreatment predicts received conflictual messages as well as sent symptomatic messages on days of experiencing self-injurious thoughts or behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood maltreatment may play a role in the content of adolescent online behaviors, particularly on days when they experience self-injurious thoughts or behaviors. Implications for intervention are discussed.

Dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents (DBT-A): Outcomes among sexual minorities at high risk for suicide.

The alarming rates and pervasiveness of suicidal and self-destructive behaviors (e.g., non-suicidal self-injury) among young sexual minorities represent a major public health concern. We set out to examine whether an empirically driven treatment for suicide and self-harm, dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents (DBT-A), provides benefits for adolescents who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or questioning (LGBQ). LGBQ adolescents (n = 16) were compared with non-LGBQ peers (n = 23). Psychological measures were collected before and after participation in a comprehensive DBT-A program. LGBQ participants demonstrated significant improvements in emotion regulation, depression, borderline symptoms, and coping strategies; changes were comparable to their heterosexual peers.

Institutional Response and Impact of Reporting Sexual Violence: An Examination of Sexual and Gender Minority College Students.

Although college students who are sexual and gender minorities (SGM) experience higher rates of sexual victimization than their peers who identify as heterosexual and cisgender, there is a paucity in the literature investigating how college campuses can address the needs of SGM college students in violence prevention and response. The present research examines a subset of data from the Healthy Minds Survey (HMS), a national web-based survey administered across two universities from 2016 to 2017. We examined the role of SGM status in the rates of sexual violence, perceptions of their college/university's institutional response to reports of sexual violence (e.g., taking a report seriously and taking corrective action), and the perceived impact of reporting sexual violence (e.g., students would support the person making a report). Logistic regression analyses revealed higher rates of sexual victimization among sexual minority students (compared to heterosexual), women (compared to men), and transgender and gender diverse (TGD) students (compared to cisgender). In addition, sexual minority (compared to heterosexual), women (compared to men), and TGD (compared to cisgender) students were more likely to perceive their institution would have a poor response to reports of sexual violence. Women and sexual minority students were also likely to believe that students who report sexual violence would suffer academically. These findings highlight the need for continued efforts to enhance sexual assault prevention and response efforts on college campuses, especially for SGM students.