Sex differences in the association between sexual violence victimization and suicidal behaviors among adolescents

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine sex differences in the association between sexual violence victimization and suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among adolescents. Data for this study came from the 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analytic sample of 10,475 adolescents aged 14–18 years (52.3% female) was analyzed. We used binary logistic regression to examine the association between sexual violence victimization and suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. We adjusted for the complexity of the sampling design and handled missing data using Multiple Imputation by Chained Equations. About 18% of adolescents experienced suicidal ideation and 7.5% attempted suicide during the past 12 months. About one in ten adolescents (15.5% of females versus 3.6% of males) experienced sexual violence. Controlling for other factors, the odds of reporting suicidal ideation were 1.86 times higher for females who experienced sexual violence (AOR=1.86, 95% CI=1.44–2.42) when compared to their non-victimized counterparts. Females who experienced sexual violence had almost double the odds of making a suicide attempt (AOR=1.94, 95% CI=1.43–2.65) whereas males who experienced sexual violence had more than threefold higher odds of making a suicide attempt (AOR=3.32, 95% CI=2.17–5.08). Understanding the association between sexual violence victimization and suicidal behaviors could contribute to early identification of adolescents who may be at risk of engaging in suicidal behaviors.