Year of Publication

2016

College

Public Health

Date Available

5-10-2016

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)

Committee Chair

Corrine Williams, ScD, MS

Committee Member

Ramona Stone, PhD, MPH

Committee Member

Katherine Eddens, PhD

Abstract

Objectives. We sought to assess the association between forced sexual intercourse and suicidal ideation/attempts among adolescent girls ages 14-17.

Methods. We performed secondary data analysis of the 2013 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, using chi-square tests to examine the association of forced sex and race/ethnicity, with suicide ideation.

Results. We found that there was an association between those who had considered suicide and those who had experienced forced sexual intercourse. Moreover, race/ethnicity was associated with those who had ever considered suicide in the past 12 months before taking the survey. Lastly, we found that there was an association of suicide ideation and forced sexual intercourse among all racial groups. However, race was not associated with those who had ever experienced forced sexual intercourse.

Conclusions. Results of this study highlight that there is a significant relationship between those who have experienced forced sexual intercourse and suicidality among adolescent girls. Future research is needed to better understand the importance of suicidality and its link to forced sexual intercourse among adolescents’ girls in a longitudinal design, particularly among different racial ethnicities and sexual minority groups.

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