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.
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Publication history
Published online: March 03, 2023
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© 2023 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
