Terror leaves adolescents behind: Identifying risk and protective factors for high-school completion among survivors of terrorism.

Terror exposure increases the risk of somatic and psychological health problems in survivors. Yet, knowledge of how such exposure affects survivors' ability to stay in school is lacking. This study examined whether exposure to the 2011 Utøya terrorist attack in Norway impacted survivors' ability to complete high school. Further, it aimed to identify important peri- and posttraumatic risk and protective factors. Interview data from the Utøya study, collected 4-5 months postterror, were linked to individual educational registry data for 265 survivors. Chi-square tests and ordinal logistic regression analyses were used to examine (a) high school completion among younger survivors (n = 185, age range: 13-18 years, 52.4% female) compared to both older survivors (i.e., who had the possibility of completing high school before the terror attacks; n = 80, age range: 19-21 years, 40.0% female) and the national average and (b) associations between high school completion and physical injury, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), somatic symptoms, and social support among younger survivors. Younger survivors were significantly less likely to complete high school on time. Among younger adolescents, physical injury, aOR = 0.36, 95% CI [0.16, 0.81]; higher-level PTSS, aOR = 0.54, 95% CI [0.33, 0.88]; and somatic symptoms, aOR = 0.51, 95% CI [0.29, 0.91], lowered the likelihood of on-time completion. Terror exposure in adolescence adversely affects long-term educational functioning in young survivors, which can severely hamper their future prospects. These findings reinforce the need for trauma-sensitive teaching and educator-provided support for adolescents exposed to trauma.

Polyvictimization Among Sexual and Gender Minority Youth.

INTRODUCTION: Polyvictimization is a significant public health issue. Sexual and gender minority youth are important to include in polyvictimization research because they report higher rates of victimization than nonsexual and gender minority youth. This study examines whether polyvictimization attenuates the associations between individual types of victimization and depressed mood and substance use across gender and sexual identities. METHODS: Data were collected cross-sectionally from 3,838 youth aged 14-15 years. Youth were recruited through social media between October 2018 and August 2019 across the U.S. Analyses were conducted in July 2022. Sexual and gender minority youth were oversampled. Depressed mood and substance use were dependent variables. RESULTS: Transgender boys were the most likely to be polyvictims (25%). Transgender girls (14.2%) and cisgender sexual minority girls (13.4%) also reported high rates. Cisgender heterosexual boys were the least likely to be classified as polyvictims (4.7%). When adjusting for polyvictimization, existing relationships between individual types of victimization (e.g., theft) and depressed mood became nonsignificant in most cases. Of exception, witnessing violence and peer victimization remained significant predictors of the odds of depressed mood. Most associations between individual types of victimization and substance use became nonsignificant after considering polyvictimization, with the exception of cisgender heterosexual boys and girls, for whom many remained significant but attenuated (e.g., emotional interpersonal violence). CONCLUSIONS: Sexual and gender minority youth experience a disproportionate number of victimizations across multiple domains. A comprehensive assessment of victimization exposure may be important when considering prevention and intervention approaches for depressed mood and substance use.

Exposure to Suicidal Behavior and Social Support Among Sexual- and Gender-Minority Youth.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we examine reports of exposure to suicidal behavior by youth sexual and gender identity. We explore how exposure is related to depressed mood in the context of high social support while accounting for cumulative adversity. METHODS: Data from a large national sample of youth aged 14 to 15 years in the United States (N = 3979) were collected online in 2018-2019. RESULTS: Sexual- and gender-minority youth were more likely to know someone close to them who attempted suicide, relative to cisgender heterosexual youth. Cisgender heterosexual youth were buffered from recent depressed mood when they endorsed having high social support in the context of exposure to suicidal behavior; less social support did not provide such a buffer. For cisgender sexual-minority male and female youth, exposure to suicidal behavior was related to recent depressed mood regardless of the level of social support. For gender-minority youth assigned female at birth, the combination of exposure and high social support was significantly associated with elevated depressed mood. Cumulative adversity accounted for some but not all of these relationships, indicating the influential role of exposure to suicidal behavior on depressed mood for some youth. CONCLUSIONS: These findings illustrate the complexities of social support and raise questions about its potential to magnify stress rather than serve as a buffer for some youth. Although findings need to be replicated, suicide prevention efforts should carefully consider how to promote resilience among these suicide-exposed sexual- and gender-minority youth who may themselves be at risk for suicidal ideation and behavior.

Child abuse and physical health: A population-based study on physical health complaints among adolescents and young adults.

Aims: To investigate whether adolescents and young adults with a history of child abuse had more physical health complaints compared to their unexposed peers. We also aimed to estimate associations between different child abuse types with physical health complaints and associations between the number of child abuse types and physical health complaints. Methods: This population-based telephone survey over two waves included 506 adolescents and young adults exposed to child abuse and 504 non-abused peers aged 16-33 years. We applied linear regression analyses to investigate associations between child abuse types and physical health complaints, unadjusted and mutually adjusted for co-occurring abuse, and to investigate how the number of child abuse types associated with physical health complaints. Results: Participants exposed to child abuse reported significantly more physical health complaints. The child abuse types strongly co-occurred. When adjusting for co-occurring child abuse, only sexual and emotional abuse were significantly associated with physical health complaints. Physical health complaints increased with the higher number of child abuse types experienced. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that exposure to abuse, particularly sexual and emotional, during childhood predicts physical health complaints in adolescence and early adulthood. In a public health perspective, early identification of child abuse may be beneficial in preventing physical health complaints later in life.