Forcible Rape and Adolescent Friendship Networks

Abstract

Studies have found that sexual victimization can adversely affect an adolescent's psychological well-being, physical health, and behavior. Little is known, however, about how friendships are influenced by such victimization. Drawing on research on sexual violence and the salience of peers among adolescents, the current study extends prior work by examining the effects of forcible rape on adolescent social networks. Using a subsample of females from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health ( N = 4,386), the study employs multivariate regression analyses to estimate the effects of youth forcible rape on the popularity, centrality, and density of adolescent friendship networks and to determine whether depression and attachment to others (e.g., to friends and to school) mediate these effects. The analyses indicated that forcible rape was associated with a decrease in the popularity and centrality of females within their friendship networks; however, no effect on the density of these networks was identified. In addition, forcible rape effects on popularity and centrality were partially mediated by depression and social attachments. The results suggest that forcible rape may adversely affect adolescent females' levels of popularity and centrality within their friendship networks. Combined with prior research, the results indicate that the harmful effects of rape have the potential to extend across diverse domains, including social relationships. This possibility suggests that services and assistance to female adolescents may be useful in navigating these relationships after victimization. It suggests, too, that potential benefits that may arise from interventions that educate adolescents-victims and nonvictims alike-about the challenges that victims of sexual violence experience.

The longitudinal relationship between social support and victimization among latino teens

“…Alternatively, peers could become overwhelmed or feel inadequately prepared to deal with the victimization of their peers, and in turn withdraw support. Similar findings have surfaced with perceived support, number of friends, and connectedness after victimization (Smokowski et al, 2014;Tomlinson et al, 2021;Wallace & Ménard, 2017), such that support decreased over time. For example, forcible rape was associated with lower levels of popularity and centrality in friendship networks among adolescent girls, but importantly, attachment to friends and school, mediated these relationships (Tomlinson et al, 2021).…”

“…Similar findings have surfaced with perceived support, number of friends, and connectedness after victimization (Smokowski et al, 2014;Tomlinson et al, 2021;Wallace & Ménard, 2017), such that support decreased over time. For example, forcible rape was associated with lower levels of popularity and centrality in friendship networks among adolescent girls, but importantly, attachment to friends and school, mediated these relationships (Tomlinson et al, 2021). It is also important to mention that secondary trauma could play a role.…”

Interactions with Offenders Post-Assault and Their Impacts on Recovery: A Qualitative Study of Sexual Assault Survivors and Support Providers

“…Understanding the connections survivors still have to their perpetrators post-assault and how that impacts their social networks is also important in understanding recovery, social support, and/or behavioral changes post-assault. In a study of adolescent female rape victims, Tomlinson, Mears, Turanovic, and Stewart (2018) found that forcible-rape victims' popularity and centrality significantly decreased within their adolescent friendship networks. These effects were partially mediated by levels of depression and social attachments and illustrate how sexual assault can impact not only the survivor, but the survivor's social networks and possible supports (Tomlinson et al, 2018).…”

“…In a study of adolescent female rape victims, Tomlinson, Mears, Turanovic, and Stewart (2018) found that forcible-rape victims' popularity and centrality significantly decreased within their adolescent friendship networks. These effects were partially mediated by levels of depression and social attachments and illustrate how sexual assault can impact not only the survivor, but the survivor's social networks and possible supports (Tomlinson et al, 2018). Another study comparing acknowledged (n=125) and unacknowledged rapes (n=194) in college victims of alcohol-facilitated assaults found that almost 30% of their total sample (n=93) continued their relationship with the perpetrator post-assault (Littleton, Grills, Layh, & Rudolph, 2017).…”

Mandatory Reporting and Adolescent Sexual Assault

“…Operating within the gender binary, one in three females and one in six males are sexually assaulted during their lifetime, with most victimizations occurring during childhood or adolescence (Finkelhor et al, 2014;Tomlinson et al, 2018). Adolescents, specifically between the ages of 16 and 19, are four times more likely to be sexually assaulted as compared to any other age-group and continue to experience the highest rates of sexual victimization of all age groups (Campbell et al, 2013;Crawford-Jakubiak et al, 2017;Giroux et al, 2018;Martsolf et al, 2010;Trotman et al, 2016).…”