'You are looked upon as a luxury tool': Young Tanzanian women's perception of community norms supporting partner violence during transactional sex (kudanga).

This paper explores the definition of, and perceived community attitudes, toward kudanga, a Swahili street term for a type of transactional sex practised in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Rooted in economic and gender disparity, transactional sex increases adolescent girls' and young women's vulnerability to HIV and gender-based violence. We sought to understand perceived community attitudes about kudanga, and how the internalisation of norms surrounding gender-based violence relate to the experiences of young women who practise kudanga. Using qualitative data from focus group discussions with 37 young women, we found that community perceptions of kudanga were largely negative, and those who engaged in it were looked down upon and despised. Violence and lack of sexual agency were normalised when doing kudanga. However, young women understood kudanga to often be their best option to obtain economic stability and felt strongly that those who practised kudanga should not be stigmatised. Our research provides further evidence that transactional sex exists on a continuum and highlights the importance of reducing community stigma surrounding transactional sex as a means of decreasing risk of HIV and gender-based violence for young women. To our knowledge, this article is the first to explore kudanga.

Sexual Victimization in Adolescence: Pathways of Risk from Sexual Harassment via Risky Alcohol Use and Delinquency Among U.S. Adolescents.

Sexual harassment is a common, yet understudied form of peer victimization experienced by adolescents during a critical period in the development of sexual identity. Adverse sexual experiences early in life (e.g., child sexual abuse) can increase risk of future sexual assault victimization; however, it is unclear as to whether sexual harassment victimization is also a risk factor for sexual assault. We examined the prospective association between peer sexual harassment and experiencing sexual victimization in the following year among a community sample of 13-15-year-old adolescents (N = 800, 57% female) from the northeastern USA. We also examined whether risky alcohol use and delinquency mediated the association between sexual harassment and sexual assault victimization, as well as whether the paths differed by gender. Results indicated that sexual harassment victimization prospectively predicted later sexual victimization for both girls and boys. Using a parallel mediation path model, we determined that for girls, sexual harassment victimization predicted both risky alcohol use and delinquency, but only risky alcohol use was predictive of sexual victimization. For boys, sexual harassment victimization predicted delinquency but not risky alcohol use. Risky alcohol use was not associated with sexual victimization for boys. Findings indicate that sexual harassment victimization increases risk of later sexual victimization in adolescence, but the pathways differ by gender.

Parent Alcohol Use and Problems in Children's Alcohol-Related Learning and Subsequent Alcohol Use.

Background: Alcohol cognitions can emerge early in life and have lasting associations with alcohol use behavior. Observational learning theories suggest that witnessing alcohol use and its consequences may be an important mechanism underlying early development of alcohol cognitions. Parents are among the earliest contributors to children's alcohol-related learning, although findings regarding the association of parental alcohol use and problems with children's alcohol-related beliefs and attitudes are considerably mixed. This study tested associations of parent alcohol use and problems with adolescent alcohol expectancies, motives, and subsequent alcohol use to help clarify this literature. Methods: Families (N = 227) comprising family alcohol use disorder cases and demographically matched controls were recruited as part of a longitudinal investigation on child development. Parents reported on their alcohol use and problems at seven assessments throughout the index adolescents' childhood, and adolescents reported on their own alcohol expectancies in 6th grade, alcohol motives in 8th grade, and alcohol use in 12th grade. Results: Father alcohol problems and mother alcohol use were linked to more positive and less negative child alcohol expectancies, respectively. However, these cognitions did not contribute unique variance in adolescent alcohol use after accounting for additional risks included in the model. Conclusions: Findings highlight the need for future research aimed at modeling broader and potentially indirect sources of parent influences on adolescent alcohol-related learning and subsequent drinking behavior.

Family cohesion and the relations among peer victimization and depression: A random intercepts cross-lagged model.

The relation between peer victimization and depressive symptoms is complex, requiring the use of methodologically rigorous designs to examine these relations and potential mediating factors. The current study used a random intercepts cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) to investigate both between-person and within-person associations in peer victimization, depressive symptoms, and family cohesion across five waves in a sample of adolescents (N = 801, ages 13-15 years at recruitment) in the Northeast. We also investigated the moderating effects of sex and victimization status (i.e., bullying victimization vs. peer victimization). Overall, findings revealed a reciprocal relation between peer victimization and depressive symptoms for females, but no relation for males. A reciprocal relation between peer victimization and family cohesion was found for males. No significant differences were found by victimization status. Future research on peer victimization and associated outcomes and the role of family should account for both between-person and within-person variance.

Peer sexual harassment, affect, and substance use: Daily level associations among adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: Peer sexual harassment is associated with adolescent substance use at the global level; however, it is unknown whether substance use occurs proximal in time to the sexual harassment experience. This study used daily reports to examine the proximal relations between sexual harassment victimization and affect and substance use. Based on theories of self-medication, we hypothesized that negative affect and substance use (cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana) would be higher than typical on days when sexual harassment occurred relative to nonvictimization days. METHOD: A community sample of 13-16-year-old adolescents (N = 204, 55.4% female) from a metropolitan area in the northeastern United States completed 56 days of online reports assessing experiences with peer sexual harassment, substance use (cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana), and positive and negative affect. RESULTS: Multilevel modeling revealed that experiencing sexual harassment on a given day was associated with higher than typical negative affect on that day, relative to nonvictimization days. The likelihood of cigarette and alcohol use (but not electronic cigarettes, marijuana, or positive affect) was greater on days when sexual harassment occurred. CONCLUSION: Sexual harassment victimization is proximally associated with negative affect and alcohol and cigarette use, suggesting that adolescents may be using substances to cope with sexual harassment victimization. The co-occurrence of sexual harassment with negative affect and substance use points to the need for prevention efforts that conjointly address sexual harassment victimization, coping, and substance use.

Physical and mental health outcomes associated with adolescent E-cigarette use.

INTRODUCTION: Use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarette) and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) among adolescents has increased dramatically, creating a need for research to examine the consequences of e-cigarette use on adolescent health. Given the emergent state of the research literature, this integrative review sought to summarize what is currently known about the physical and mental health outcomes associated with e-cigarette use in an adolescent population, and to identify directions for future research. METHOD: The methodology for this integrative review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A methodical search was conducted in February 2020 in PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to address e-cigarette use, have samples that were between 13 and 24 years of age, be published in a peer-reviewed journal, and examine health outcomes associated with e-cigarette use. After the screening process, 18 studies were included. RESULTS: Physical health outcomes associated with e-cigarette use included oral health and respiratory problems as well as nicotine dependence. Mental health outcomes included depression and suicidal ideation. In studies that compared e-cigarette use to conventional cigarette use and non-use, e-cigarettes tended to be associated with more problems than non-use, but fewer problems than conventional cigarette use. Dual use, that is, use of both conventional cigarettes and e-cigarettes, was associated with the greatest harm. CONCLUSION: Although somewhat less harmful than conventional cigarettes, e-cigarette use is related to a variety of negative physical and mental health outcomes among adolescent users.

Adolescent Social Media Use: Pitfalls and Promises in Relation to Cybervictimization, Friend Support, and Depressive Symptoms.

The saturation of social media use in adolescents' lives has raised questions about both the risks and positive outcomes that may be associated with use. This study filled this gap by examining longitudinal associations among active social media use and depressive symptoms for male and female adolescents and the mediating role of friend support and cybervictimization. These relations were investigated in a sample of 800 13-15-year-old (M = 14.45) adolescents (57% female, 81% White) across four waves of data over two years. The results indicated that higher levels of active social media use led to reduced depressive symptoms for female adolescents, while active social media use predicted more cybervictimization for male adolescents. In contrast, cybervictimization predicted higher levels of active social media use for female adolescents. Friend support predicted more active social media use for male and female adolescents. Overall, findings reveal a complex picture of social media use for both male and female adolescents and further research is needed which examines types of social media use and their associations with both online and offline experiences.

Sleep Quality as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Cyber Victimization and Depression.

PURPOSE: Cyber victimization is a national mental health concern, especially among adolescents who are digital natives. The current study examined sleep quality as a mediator of the association between cyber victimization and depressive symptoms among adolescents. DESIGN AND METHOD: A prospective study design was utilized with a community sample of adolescents (N = 801; 57% female; mean age = 14.45, SD = .85) from the eastern United States. Participants completed (a) the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; (b) the Cyber Victimization Scale; and (c) the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised via online surveys at baseline and 6-month follow-up. The inter-relationship between variables was analyzed by Hayes' mediation approach. FINDINGS: Cyber victimization was not directly associated with having depressive symptoms 6 months later when controlling for adolescents' poor sleep quality, sex, and age (direct effect [c'] = .012, t(676) = 1.12, p < .05, confidence interval [CI] -.008, .036). The mediation analysis indicated a significant indirect effect of poor sleep quality on the relationship between cyber victimization and depressive symptoms (ab = .005, bootstrapped standard error [SE] = .003, bootstrapped CI .001, .011; a is the effect of cyber victimization on poor sleep quality; b is the effect of poor sleep quality on depressive symptoms). Specifically, adolescents' cyber victimization led to poor sleep quality (a = .039, SE = .041, p < .05), which also led to increased depressive symptoms (b = .116, SE = .019, p < .001), after controlling for depressive symptoms at baseline, sex, and age. The indirect effect of cyber victimization on depressive symptoms was estimated through poor sleep quality (a*b = .039(.116) = .0045). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that poor sleep quality may be a mechanism through which cyber bullying is related prospectively to depressive symptoms. Interventions for cyber-victimized adolescents should include assessment of sleep quality and incorporate sleep hygiene education. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Adolescents should be screened for cyber victimization and sleep quality. Moreover, promotion of sleep hygiene among cyber-victimized adolescents may help to reduce depression.

Preventing College Sexual Victimization by Reducing Hookups: a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Personalized Normative Feedback Intervention.

Sexual activity, including hooking up, increases college women's vulnerability to sexual victimization. Reducing hookups may reduce rates of sexual victimization among this vulnerable population. Because college students overestimate how frequently their peers hook up, correcting their misperceptions may lead to more accurate perceived social norms, and consequently, less hookup behavior. The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial of the efficacy of a brief, computer-administered personalized normative feedback (PNF) intervention regarding hookups during the first semester of college. We tested an indirect effects model in which PNF was hypothesized to predict perceiving fewer peer hookups, which were expected to predict fewer actual hookups and consequently, less sexual victimization during the first semester of college. Entering first-year women (N = 760) were randomly assigned to receive web-delivered PNF or no information. At the end of the semester, perceived number of hookups of others, number of hookups during the semester, and sexual victimization experiences were assessed. Women who received the intervention perceived that their peers engaged in significantly fewer hookups than did control women. Consistent with the proposed indirect effects model, intervention had a significant indirect effect on the odds of first-semester victimization via lower perceived descriptive norms, which in turn predicted fewer hookups. The study provides proof of concept for the importance of hookups as a risk factor for sexual victimization and provides novel, preliminary support for intervention to change descriptive norms as a way of reducing hookups and consequently, sexual vulnerability.

Prospective associations among relationship abuse, sexual harassment and bullying in a community sample of sexual minority and exclusively heterosexual youth.

INTRODUCTION: Sexual minority youth (SMY) are at significantly greater risk for experiencing adolescent relationship abuse (ARA) than exclusively heterosexual youth, yet little is known about the factors that elevate their risks for such abuse. Peer victimization (i.e., bullying, sexual harassment) has been associated with ARA among heterosexual youth. SMY experience higher rates of peer victimization than heterosexual youth, suggesting that it may be a risk factor for ARA among these youth. Using longitudinal data from a community sample of adolescents recruited from the northeastern US, we examined whether sexual identity was associated prospectively with ARA, and whether that relationship would be indirect, and mediated via bullying and sexual harassment at a 12-month follow-up. We expected to find higher rates of peer victimization and ARA among SMY than heterosexual youth, and we expected that sexual harassment and bullying would predict subsequent relationship abuse. METHODS: Adolescents (N = 800; 58% female; 81% European-American; 19% SMY) between 13 and 15 years (M = 14.45, SD = 0.85) completed a web survey at baseline, 6-months and 12-months. RESULTS: Consistent with prior studies, SMY reported higher rates of bullying, sexual harassment, and relationship abuse than heterosexual youth. SMY who reported sexual harassment at baseline were more likely to report relationship abuse over time. Contrary to our expectations, however, bully victimization did not predict subsequent relationship abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual harassment can be particularly harmful for SMY because it targets gender and sexual identity at a formative developmental period and puts youth at risk for relationship abuse.

Listening to Adolescents: Their Perceptions and Information Sources About E-cigarettes.

PURPOSE: There has been a sharp increase in adolescent electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use, and e-cigarettes are now the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. middle and high school students. Frequent use among high school students was reported to be 27.7% in 2018, an increase of almost 8% from 2017. As yet we have only a limited understanding of adolescent perceptions of e-cigarettes and where adolescents receive information about them. DESIGN AND METHODS: Thirty-four adolescents from Western New York participated in semi-structured interviews. Both adolescents who had used e-cigarettes and never used e-cigarettes were included to capture a broad perspective. The interview data were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Both adolescents who had used e-cigarettes and never used e-cigarettes acknowledged the popularity and acceptance of e-cigarettes among their peers. E-cigarettes were viewed as a healthy alternative to regular cigarettes that mimicked the appearance but were less harmful and more enjoyable. Reasons for not using e-cigarettes included harms to health, risk of addiction, and the gateway effects for other risky behaviors. Major information sources about e-cigarettes included advertisements, family, peers, social media, and the internet. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent perceptions of e-cigarettes, which contribute to reasons for e-cigarette use or not use, and the sources of information that may influence those perceptions were identified. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Our findings provide valuable information to guide prevention initiatives and develop interventions, particularly planning for preventive messages and effective communication methods to deliver for adolescents.

Dangerous Liaisons: The Role of Hookups and Heavy Episodic Drinking in College Sexual Victimization.

Heavy episodic drinking (HED) and hookups increase college women's vulnerability to sexual victimization. We examined whether the effect of HED on first year college sexual victimization severity was mediated via hookups, that is, casual sexual encounters between individuals not in a relationship. We also tested the hypothesis that greater sexual limit-setting would attenuate the positive effect of hookups on sexual victimization. Freshman women (N = 335) were recruited by e-mail to complete an online survey regarding their college drinking and sexual experiences. The effect of HED frequency on sexual victimization was completely mediated via hookups. There was a significant indirect path from HED to victimization via alcohol-involved hookups; the path through sober hookups was not significant. We found some support for the hypothesis that sexual limit-setting reduced the impact of hookups on sexual victimization severity. Findings suggest the importance of targeting sexual behavior, which frequently occurs in conjunction with drinking, as a way of preventing college sexual victimization.

Teacher Outcomes from the Second Step Child Protection Unit: Moderating Roles of Prior Preparedness, and Treatment Acceptability.

Teachers play a critical role in child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention and intervention efforts. We examined the impact of the Second Step Child Protection Unit (CPU) on improving teacher awareness, attitudes, and teacher-student relations for 161 teachers. Teacher baseline scores and treatment acceptability were examined as moderators. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed a significant effect of the CPU on teachers' awareness, attitudes, and teacher-student relations, particularly for teachers with lower prior knowledge, attitudes, and student relationships. Teachers' acceptability of the CPU also moderated outcomes, where a higher level of acceptability of CSA interventions was associated with an increase in outcomes.

Etiology of Teen Dating Violence among Adolescent Children of Alcoholics.

Family processes in early life have been implicated in adolescent involvement in teen dating violence, yet the developmental pathways through which this occurs are not well understood. In this study, etiological pathways from parental psychopathology and marital conflict in infancy to involvement in dating violence in late adolescence were examined in a sample of children at high-risk due to parental alcohol problems. Families (N = 227) recruited when the child was 12 months of age were assessed at 12-, 24-, 36-months, kindergarten, 6th, 8th, and 12th grades. Slightly more than half of the children were female (51%) and the majority were of European American descent (91%). Parental psychopathology in infancy was indirectly associated with teen dating violence in late adolescence via low maternal warmth and self-regulation in early childhood, externalizing behavior from kindergarten to early adolescence, and sibling problems in middle childhood. Marital conflict was also indirectly associated with teen dating violence via child externalizing behavior. Maternal warmth and sensitivity in early childhood emerged as an important protective factor and was associated with reduced marital conflict and increased child self-regulation in the preschool years as well as increased parental monitoring in middle childhood and early adolescence. Family processes occurring in the preschool years and in middle childhood appear to be critical periods for creating conditions that contribute to dating violence risk in late adolescence. These findings underscore the need for early intervention and prevention with at-risk families.

Sexual risk at first coitus: Does alcohol make a difference?

This study examines whether use of alcohol at first coitus is associated with increased sexual risk for young women. First coitus is the focus of the investigation because it is a memorable, formative experience that has implications for subsequent sexual health. A community sample of young women ages 18-19 years (N = 227) completed retrospective interviews. Characteristics and perceptions of the first coital event were examined using chi squares and one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to determine if there were differences based on alcohol-involvement. Alcohol-involved first coitus events occurred in social settings with risky partners, were rated less positively, and were non-consensual relative to those that did not involve alcohol. Alcohol use was not related to condom use. Alcohol-involvement was associated with subsequent pairing of alcohol with sex and incapacitated rape. Adolescent alcohol use occurs in contexts that increases young women's sexual risk through exposure to risky partners.

Correlates of ever having used electronic cigarettes among older adolescent children of alcoholic fathers.

INTRODUCTION: Few studies have examined predictors of ever having used electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes) among older adolescents. This study examined correlates of ever having used e-cigarettes among adolescent children of alcoholic fathers. METHODS: Participants were 136 adolescents (50.7% male, 89.4% European American) from an ongoing longitudinal case-control study of children of alcoholic fathers. Adolescents reported on their mother's and father's parenting during middle adolescence (MA; M age = 13.8) and completed measures of their own, as well as their peers', substance use during late adolescence (LA; M age = 17.0). Parents completed measures of their own substance use at the MA assessment. RESULTS: More than one third (36.9%) of the participants reported ever using e-cigarettes. Parental monitoring during MA (odds ratio [OR] = 0.85, p < .05), lifetime use of cigarettes (OR = 3.88, p < .01), alcohol use (OR = 7.72, p < .05), marijuana use (OR = 4.07, p < .01), and peer substance use (OR = 1.34, p < .05) during LA were each uniquely associated with ever having used e-cigarettes. Ever having used e-cigarettes also was associated with more frequent current cigarette use (ß = .38, p < .05), alcohol use (ß = .30, p < .01), and marijuana use (ß = .31, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that ever having used e-cigarettes in LA is a risk marker for substance use. Interventions to promote parental monitoring may be effective in curbing use of e-cigarettes and other substances in LA.

Measurement of the bystander intervention model for bullying and sexual harassment.

Although peer bystanders can exacerbate or prevent bullying and sexual harassment, research has been hindered by the absence of a validated assessment tool to measure the process and sequential steps of the bystander intervention model. A measure was developed based on the five steps of Latané and Darley's (1970) bystander intervention model applied to bullying and sexual harassment. Confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of 562 secondary school students confirmed the five-factor structure of the measure. Structural equation modeling revealed that all the steps were influenced by the previous step in the model, as the theory proposed. In addition, the bystander intervention measure was positively correlated with empathy, attitudes toward bullying and sexual harassment, and awareness of bullying and sexual harassment facts. This measure can be used for future research and to inform intervention efforts related to the process of bystander intervention for bullying and sexual harassment.

Joint trajectories of bullying victimization and sexual harassment victimization as predictors of adolescent alcohol use.

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the independent and joint effects of bullying victimization and sexual harassment victimization on adolescent alcohol use over time within a community sample of adolescents. METHOD: Adolescents aged 13-15 years old at baseline (N = 800, Mage = 14.42, SD = 0.83; 57.5% female) recruited from Western New York State made five online survey reports of peer victimization and alcohol use over a 2-year period. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify trajectory classes of victimization from bullying and sexual harassment over time, and regression modeling was used to examine the associations with later alcohol use. RESULTS: Three developmental courses were identified for bullying victimization (moderate/decreasing, high/decreasing, never or low) and for sexual harassment victimization (moderate/decreasing, moderate/increasing, never or low). Adolescents in the moderate/decreasing group of bullying victimization subsequently consumed more alcoholic drinks when they drank. Belonging to the moderate/increasing group of sexual harassment was associated with increased later alcohol intoxication and number of drinks. Bullying victimization and sexual harassment victimization were concurrently correlated over time. Adolescents who followed the joint trajectory group of moderately decreasing bullying and increasing sexual harassment were more likely to report increased later alcohol intoxication and number of drinks. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate levels of bullying victimization along with increasing sexual harassment victimization are associated prospectively with greater alcohol use in adolescence. Findings highlight the importance of considering the cumulative, joint effects of multiple types of peer victimization on adolescent health outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

College Women's Perceptions of a Friend-Based Intervention to Prevent Alcohol-Involved Sexual Assault.

Sexual assault (SA), particularly alcohol-involved SA, remains prevalent among college women. Because SA often begins in social contexts, bystander intervention has become a popular approach to prevention. Bystander interventions train individuals to intervene on behalf of others, including strangers, despite research indicating that intervention is more likely to occur when the bystander has a relationship with the target. Shifting the focus to friends as potential bystanders capitalizes on the qualities of relationship and responsibility that facilitate intervention. College women (N = 35) participated in focus groups (N = 8) during which they viewed a video prototype of a friend-based motivational interviewing (FMI) intervention session conducted with a friend dyad and provided feedback about the relevance and feasibility of using such an approach to reduce SA among friends who drink together in social settings. Content analysis of focus group transcripts yielded three themes: a) Friends as Natural Bystanders; b) The Role of Alcohol in Intervention, and c) Receptivity to FMI intervention. Women indicated that they feel responsible for keeping their friends safe, and that this sense of responsibility facilitates helping behaviors. Women also described ways through which alcohol intoxication can affect helping behavior. Women expressed enthusiasm for the FMI intervention approach and identified its emphasis on friendship and flexible approaches to personal safety as strengths. Findings highlight the promise of FMI intervention approaches that capitalize on the strengths of women's friendship to create safety goals that align with participants' values and overcome barriers to intervention, including alcohol intoxication.

Mother-Adolescent Agreement Concerning Peer Victimization:Predictors and Relation to Coping.

The current study analyzed adolescent, maternal, and family factors associated with mother-adolescent agreement on reports of verbal, relational, and physical forms of peer victimization. It also assessed the relationship between mother-adolescent agreement and adolescents' coping response to peer victimization. The sample consisted of 783 adolescents (337 male, 446 female) between the ages 13-15 and their mothers. Consistent with previous research, results showed mother-adolescent agreement to be low, with kappa coefficients ranging from .15 to .30 on items measuring adolescent peer victimization. A multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated that adolescent factors (age, gender, depression symptomology), maternal factors (depression symptomology, history of victimization), and family cohesion were significantly related to mother-adolescent agreement on reports of peer victimization. Lastly, mother-adolescent agreement on reports of adolescent peer victimization was associated with adolescents' increased use of adult support seeking and problem-solving and decreased use of passive-coping, distancing, and revenge-seeking as a coping response to peer victimization.