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Predictors of Sexual Coercion and Alcohol Use Among Female Juvenile Offenders

  • Empirical Research
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Abstract

Female juvenile offenders report high rates of sexual coercion and substance use, yet the temporal relationship between the two remains unclear. The focus of this study was to conduct a prospective examination of predictors of sexual coercion and substance use for a group of high-risk young women. Two hundred and forty five adolescent females (34 % of a sample including males and females), between the ages of 14–17, and from a larger study of juvenile offenders, were recruited from juvenile probation offices to participate in a longitudinal study on substance use and sexual risk. At baseline, participants completed measures associated with increased risk for sexual coercion, including substance use, perceived relationship control, and externalizing behavior. At 6- and 24-month follow-up, participants also completed a measure assessing sexually coercive experiences. Path analysis revealed that less relationship control at baseline predicted sexual coercion at 6-months. Additionally, 6-month sexual coercion predicted alcohol use and sexual coercion at 24-month follow-up. Logistic regression analysis revealed also that alcohol use at 6-months predicted sexual revictimization at 24-months. Sexual coercion appears to be associated with subsequent increases in alcohol use, suggesting that female juvenile offenders may be using alcohol to cope with the psychological and emotional consequences of victimization. Alcohol use is linked to increased risk for repeat sexual coercion, suggesting that exposure to risky environments also may be important in understanding these girls’ risk. Difficulties responding assertively in sexual relationships (i.e., low relationship control) also seem to increase female juvenile offenders’ risk for sexual coercion. Finally, previous sexual coercion appears to increase risk for future victimization, highlighting the importance of early intervention for this at-risk group.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA019139) to the last author. The authors wish to thank the probation offices (Denver Metro and Adams County), the young people who participated in our study, and the Colorado Department of Youth Corrections (DYC) for their cooperation and support. Additionally, we wish to thank Dr. Sarah Schmiege who was a postdoc on the project, and our research assistants, Katy Seals, Renea Nilsson, Miranda Dettmann, Kerry Trachsel, Teni Davoudian, Angela Hendricks, Roger Pressman, Jake Lee, Nettie Smith, Sarah Taylor, and Ben Veralrud.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standards

This study has been approved by the appropriate ethics committee and has been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. All participants in the study gave their informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study.

Author contributions

With respect to specific author contributions, EY wrote all sections of the paper except for the results section, suggested the statistical analyses to be used in the study, and provided the conceptual and theoretical background for the paper. AB conceived of and designed the study, obtained grant funding from NIDA for the project (R01DA019130), and assisted with the analyses and editing of the manuscript. EM performed the analyses and wrote the results section. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Logan Hall, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-1161, USA

    Elizabeth A. Yeater

  2. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

    Erika A. Montanaro & Angela D. Bryan

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  1. Elizabeth A. Yeater
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  2. Erika A. Montanaro
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  3. Angela D. Bryan
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Correspondence to Elizabeth A. Yeater.

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Yeater, E.A., Montanaro, E.A. & Bryan, A.D. Predictors of Sexual Coercion and Alcohol Use Among Female Juvenile Offenders. J Youth Adolescence 44, 114–126 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-014-0166-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-014-0166-z

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