Poster #225 - Interpersonal Violence, Peer Norms, and Girls’ Emergent Romantic-Sexual Experiences

• In Event: 3-053 - Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

Mounting evidence suggests that youth exposure to interpersonal violence (IPV) places adolescents at risk for romantic and sexual problems. Direct IPV experiences (e.g., child maltreatment, assault) more so than indirect experiences (e.g., witnessing violence), increase the likelihood for early sexual debut, unsafe sexual behaviors, and dating aggression among middle and late adolescents. Remarkably little is known about the implications of IPV for romantic/sexual behavior during early adolescence, despite this being the most efficacious time to implement risk reduction programs. Additionally, studies implicating IPV in the emergence of romantic/sexual problems rarely examine how IPV intersects with normative influential factors. Adolescents’ peer norms, for example, reflect their perceptions about the normalcy of romantic/sexual behaviors and shape their decisions about the timing and extent of behavioral engagement. In the current study, we examine longitudinal associations from IPV exposure and peer norms to subsequent romantic/sexual engagement over a 9-month period during early adolescence. We expected that IPV would predict more extensive involvement for adolescents who perceived their peers to be more romantic/sexually experienced.
Participants included 93 urban dwelling, middle school girls (Mage 12.47; 80.2% African American). At Time 1 (T1) information was obtained about lifetime exposure to 7 forms of direct IPV, M(SD) = 2.0 (1.51). Peer norms were calculated from the proportion of 10 closest friends they believed had engaged dating/romantic relationships, light sexual behaviors (hand holding, kissing, cuddling), and heavy sexual behavior (touching above/under clothes, genital contact behavior). At T1 and T2, extent of romantic experience (e.g., mixed-gender activities, crushes, dating, romantic relationships), sexual experiences (coded as none, light behaviors only, or light and heavy sexual behaviors), and number of romantic or sexual partners were derived from a relationship life history calendar interview.
By T2, all girls reported romantic interest or specific crushes, and 45% reported at least one romantic relationship. Although most (92%) had not engaged in any genital contact, 40% had engaged in light sexual behavior and 13% in some form of heavy sexual behavior.
Hypothesis testing included a series of hierarchical regressions predicting the extent of T2 romantic/sexual experience from T1 direct IPV exposure, peer norms, and the interaction term, controlling for T1 romantic/sexual experience. Interactions were probed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro in SPSS. Peer norms for heavy (but not light) sexual behavior moderated associations from T1 IPV to T2 sexual behavior and number of partners (see Figures 1 and 2). Contrary to predictions, T1 IPV predicted greater romantic and sexual experience only among girls with lower peer norms for heavy sexual behavior. For girls with higher T1 peer norms, T2 romantic/sexual behavior was high regardless of T1 IPV exposure.
Results extend prior work to illustrate the significance of IPV for early romantic and sexual development. They also underscore the importance of studying how risk factors, such as IPV, interface with normative developmental processes to shape romantic/sexual development. Although IPV experiences cannot be undone, amplified behavioral norms for romantic/sexual behavior may be an important modifiable target of intervention for promoting healthy development.

Authors

• Valerie Simon, Wayne State University
  Presenting Author

• Jami Pittman, Wayne State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Steven Proudfoot, Wayne State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Spencer Genrich, Wayne State University
  Non-Presenting Author