4070.0 - Restorative justice policies may reduce suicide risk among white dating violence girl survivors, but ethnoracial disparities should be addressed
Program: Family Violence Prevention Caucus
Session: Poster: Family Violence Prevention Caucus Poster Session #1
Author: Trace Kershaw
See all authors and presenters →
Abstract
Background
Girls who experience adolescent dating violence (ADV) are at increased risk for attempting suicide, but limited research has identified policy-level interventions that work to mitigate this impact. Restorative justice (RJ), a survivor-centered, policy-based approach to harm repair may work to empower survivors by validating their experiences, reducing trauma and promoting healing through accountability. This study examined the possible effects of state-level RJ policy adoption on attempting suicide among ADV girl survivors and determined whether associations differed by ethnoracial identity.
Methods
Individual-level data were from the 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019 waves of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a state-representative, cross-sectional survey conducted biennially among public and private schools with adolescents who are in 9th to 12th grade in the US (N=30,330). State-level policy data were from a US RJ legislative database. The analytic sample included females who reported having experienced ADV in the past year. Generalized estimating equations using log binomial regression were used to examine lagged associations between state-level RJ policies that are indicated for adolescent populations and attempting suicide among ADV girl survivors and test for effect measure modification by ethnoracial group.
Results
The association between residing in a state with an RJ policy (vs without) and attempting suicide was modified by ethnoracial identity, such that Black ADV girl survivors in states with an RJ policy had an increased risk of attempting suicide compared to those in states without an RJ policy (ARR [95% CI] = 1.15 [0.99, 1.31], p = 0.051), and white ADV girl survivors in states with an RJ policy had a decreased risk of attempting suicide compared to those in states without an RJ policy (ARR [95% CI] = 0.93 [0.86, 1.00], p = 0.054). This association did not vary for Hispanic ADV girl survivors.
Conclusions
State-level RJ policies may be a promising scalable tool to reduce suicide attempts only for white ADV girl survivors. Ensuring that state RJ polices are not perpetuating structural gendered racism may ensure these policies do not cause harm for Black ADV girl survivors or are ineffective for Hispanic ADV girl survivors.