WITHDRAWN: Racial and Ethnic Differences in Lifetime Physical Assault Rates for a National Sample of Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents

Background and Purpose: Sexual and gender minority adolescents (SGMA) are lifetime polyvictimized (i.e., experiencing 15 or more differentforms of victimization) at approximately four times the rate (41.3% vs. 10.2%) compared to national estimates from the general youth population. Presently, little is known about the lifetime rates of physical assaults for SGMA of color. To address the aforementioned research gap, we utilized a large, national, convenience sample of SGMA (N = 1177; 14-19 y/o) to (1) identify the lifetime rates of non-bias and bias-motivated physical assaultsby race and ethnicity and (2) identify significant differences in victimization subtype rates by race and ethnicity, while controlling for age, assigned birth sex, non-cisgender status, sexual orientation, and outness to parents.

Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional, quantitative designwith an online survey. Inclusion criteria included sexual or gender minority identity, 14-19 y/o, middle or high school enrollment, U.S. residency, and English literacy. Overall, White (62.7%, n = 732) was the most common racial identification, followed by bi/multiracial (13.1%, n= 153), Latinx (10.0%, n = 117), Black (8.3%, n = 97), and other (5.8%, n = 68). Participants were recruited through Facebook and 12 SGMA youth organization located across the United States. Victimization subtypes were assessed with an adapted version of the Abbreviated Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire. Descriptive analyses were conducted for physical assault subtypes stratified by race/ethnicity. Multiple logit regression was used to identify significant racial and ethnic differences in lifetime physical assault rates, controlling for demographics and outness to parents. White was the reference category for all logit analyses.

Results: Overall, 81.3% and 64.8% of SGMA reported some form of non-bias and bias-motivated physical assaults, respectively. Bi/multiracial SGMA indicated significantly higher lifetime rates of any physical assault(92.2% vs. 79.9%,p<.01) and dating violence (26.4% vs. 19.0%,p<.05) compared to their White counterparts. In contrast, Black SGMA reported significantly lower rates of assault with a weapon (18.8% vs. 34.3%, p <.01), threatened with physical violence (44.2% vs. 61.7%, p <.01), physical assault by a sibling (30.5% vs. 49.0%, p <.01), genital assault by a sibling (4.4% vs. 14.6%, p <.01), gender identity motivated assault (3.8% vs. 12.1%, p <.05), and gender expression motivated assault (5.1% vs. 12.8%, p <.05).Additionally, bi/multiracial (19.3%, p <.001), Latinx (11.0%, p <.05), Black (25.3%, p <.001), and other racially-identified SGMA (19.7%, p <.001) experienced a significantly higher lifetime rate of race-motivated physical assaults compared to White peers (5.0%).

Conclusions and Implications: Black SGMA, in contrast to prior research, had lower rates across a wide range of lifetime physical assault subtypes in comparison to White SGMA. Additionally, bi/multiracial SGMA appear to be at greater risk for any physical assault and dating violence, which suggest bi/multiracial youth may lack the protective safety of a racial/ethnic minority in-group. Prevalence data are vital for identifying the most vulnerable subpopulations of SGMA, while also crafting more nuanced public policies, prevention strategies, and interventions to reduce rates of physical assaults for all SGMA.