Session: Abstract of Distinction: Longitudinal Predictors of Sexual Violence and Teen Dating Violence across Adolescence (Society for Prevention Research 26th Annual Meeting)

SESSION INTRODUCTION: Bullying, sexual violence, and teen dating violence among early adolescents are considered public health problems that have serious consequences for victims and perpetrators. The goal of this symposium session is to present three papers that examine longitudinal risk and protective factors associated with sexual violence and teen dating violence perpetration and victimization. The symposium supports the conference theme “Advances across the Stages of the Prevention Research Cycle: Epidemiology and Etiology.” Each paper uses data from a longitudinal study of bullying and sexual violence that involved surveying Midwestern youth from early middle to late high school.

The first paper, “Longitudinal Examination of the Bullying-Sexual Violence Pathway across Early to Late Adolescence” replicated and extended the bully-sexual violence pathway theory, which indicated that bullying perpetration predicts sexual violence perpetration among girls and boys over time in middle school, and that homophobic name-calling perpetration moderates that association among boys. , bully perpetration in early middle school predicted sexual violence perpetration into high school and the association was moderated by homophobic name-calling perpetration in middle school for boys, but not for girls. Findings point to the importance of addressing homophobic name-calling and sexual violence in middle school through high school.

The second paper, “Alcohol, Prescription Drug Misuse, Sexual Violence and Dating Violence among High School Youth” used latent class analysis and found that youth reported being in one of three substance use groups: low/no use, alcohol only use, and alcohol and prescription drug misuse. Youth in the alcohol and prescription drug misuse class experienced greater sexual violence and teen dating victimization and perpetration than the alcohol only class at baseline and one year later. Findings from this study suggest that sexual and teen dating violence prevention programs might also address substance use.

The third paper, “Protective Factors for Sexual Violence: Understanding How Trajectories Relate to Perpetration in High School” used growth curve analysis to identify longitudinal protective factors across early to late adolescence associated with less sexual violence perpetration in high school. Findings reveal that non-perpetrators displayed higher empathy and experienced higher parental monitoring, school belonging, and social support over time compared to perpetrators.

At the conclusion of the presentations, the discussant (an expert in adolescent sexual violence and teen dating violence) will make summary statements and moderate a discussion between the presenters and the symposium attendees. Many scholars who study teen dating violence and sexual violence among adolescents attend SPR, so we are optimistic that this discussion among conference attendees will help inform future prevention research.