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Child Sexual Abuse as a Risk Factor for Teen Dating Violence: Findings from a Representative Sample of Quebec Youth

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Abstract

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is identified as a significant risk factor for later victimization in the context of adult intimate relationships, but less is known about the risk associated with CSA in early romantic relationships. This paper aims to document the association between CSA and teen dating victimization in a large representative sample of Quebec high-school students. As part of the YouthsRomantic Relationships Project, 8194 teens completed measures on CSA and psychological, physical and sexual dating violence. After controlling for other interpersonal traumas, results show that CSA contributed to all three forms of dating victimization among both boys and girls. The heightened risk of revictimization appears to be stronger for male victims of CSA. Intervention and prevention efforts are clearly needed to reduce the vulnerability of male and female victims of sexual abuse who are entering the crucial phase of adolescence and first romantic relationships.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the teenagers who participated in the study as well as the school personnel involved. This research was supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research awarded to Martine Hébert (CIHR # 103944).

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All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation [Internal review board of the Université du Québec à Montréal] and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all participants for being included in the study.

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Hébert, M., Moreau, C., Blais, M. et al. Child Sexual Abuse as a Risk Factor for Teen Dating Violence: Findings from a Representative Sample of Quebec Youth. Journ Child Adol Trauma 10, 51–61 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-016-0119-7

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