Prevalence of Technology-Facilitated Abuse Among Sexual and Gender Minority Youths

• NCJ Number: 308836
• Journal: JAMA Network Open Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: 2024 Pages: e2354485.
• Author(s): Heather A. Turner; David Finkelhor; Kimberly Mitchell; Deirdre Colburn
• Date Published: February 2024
• Grant Number(s): 2020R2CX0015
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

In this paper researchers assessed the prevalence of technology-facilitated abuse among sexual and gender minority youths.

Abstract

This study demonstrates the risk of technology-facilitated abuse (TFA) among sexual and gender minority youths and the need to target prevention efforts toward these vulnerable groups. To compare the prevalence of TFA among youths across 5 different sexual and gender identity groups, and to identify risk factors that may explain variations in TFA risk. A US nationally representative online survey was conducted among 2639 young adults recruited from the KnowledgePanel online panel from November 19 to December 29, 2021. Individuals aged 18 to 28 years were asked retrospectively about TFA and a variety of other youth experiences in childhood (aged <18 years). Participants were asked about their sexual and gender identities, 11 types of TFA occurring before the age of 18 years, and several potential risk factors. Prevalence rates of any TFA were compared across sexual and gender identity groups, and analyses were conducted to identify risk factors that help explain group differences. Weights were developed to compensate for gender, education, race and ethnicity, household income, census region, and metropolitan status disproportions. Among the 2510 respondents (mean [SD] age, 24.8 [2.8] years) who provided gender and sexual identity information, 46.5% (95% CI, 41.9%-51.1%) were cisgender heterosexual females, 25.2% (95% CI, 21.6%-29.1%) were cisgender sexual minority females, 18.3% (95% CI, 14.4%-22.9%) were cisgender heterosexual males, 6.8% (95% CI, 4.6%-9.9%) were cisgender sexual minority males, and 3.3% (95% CI, 2.0%-5.4%) were gender minority individuals. The prevalence of TFA occurring before the age of 18 years was highest among sexual minority females (55.3%; 95% CI, 48.0%-62.4%) and gender minority individuals (53.4%; 95% CI, 33.5%-72.2%). Rates of sexting were highest among cisgender sexual minority females (38.8%; 95% CI, 19.1%-58.8%) and gender minority individuals (36.7%; 95% CI, 19.1%-58.8%) and represented the strongest risk factor for TFA exposure (odds ratio, 5.7; 95% CI, 4.0-8.0). (Published Abstract Provided)