Examining the Relationships Between Teen Dating Violence, Electronic Dating Violence, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Assault Across Adolescence

Introduction: Adolescent girls are at substantial risk of experiencing several forms of victimization, including dating violence, sexual harassment, and electronic dating violence. Extant research generally has not examined these forms of victimization in conjunction with one another or determined whether they are related to experiences of sexual assault. The current study extends previous research by examining how dating violence, electronic dating violence, and sexual harassment across adolescence are related to reports of sexual assault.

Methods: Data (six waves) were from an on-going longitudinal study about adolescent dating violence and risk behaviors. Participants were 583 female adolescents attending public high schools in southeast Texas. At baseline, the sample consisted of 31.7% Hispanics, 26.4% Whites, 30.2% African Americans, 3.4% Asians, and others (8.2%), with a mean age of 15.07 (SD = .78). Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine whether adolescents’ race, college status (W6), experiences (W1 through W5) with dating violence, electronic dating violence, and sexual harassment were associated with sexual assault experiences measured at W6.

Results: Participants who attended college were 2.48 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than those who did not attend college, 95% CI [1.06, 5.80], and participants who experienced electronic dating violence were 4.24 times more likely to report sexual assault, 95% CI [1.74, 10.33]. Four forms of sexual harassment were tested. Those who reported having someone spread sexual rumors about them were 2.67 times more likely to be sexually assaulted, 95% CI [1.35, 5.29] and those who had been the victims of gay slurs were 2.66 times more likely to be sexually assaulted, 95% CI [1.33, 5.34]. Interestingly, a suppression effect was identified: victims of sexual comments were .24 times as likely to be sexually assaulted, 95% CI [.06, .89], though the correlation between the two was non-significant (r = .07). There was no significant relationship between an experience of being brushed up against and sexual assault (p = .07). No significant relationship was found for race (p = .83) or dating violence (p = .52).

Conclusions: Findings of this study suggest that experiences of sexual harassment and electronic dating violence across adolescence and college attendance are related to sexual assault. These findings further our understanding of the link between various forms of dating victimization and sexual assault across high school and emerging adulthood. Prevention interventions may benefit from focusing on a variety of different forms of sexual assault and dating victimization during high school and college.