Linking cissexist and heterosexist violence and sexual violence among adolescents and young adults: A scoping review of the quantitative literature

Heterosexist and cissexist violence, as well as sexual violence all are forms of gender-based violence. Focusing on how the victimization and perpetration of these forms of violence are linked can provide theoretical insight into the origins of these types of violence, as well as their function. The objective of this scoping review was to identify quantitative research examining the associations between heterosexist and cissexist violence and sexual violence among adolescents and young adults. We were able to access 40 studies which measured both cissexist and/or heterosexist violence and sexual violence within both general and sexual and gender minority-specific populations. The adolescent literature typically employed general population samples and showed small to moderate cross-sectional links between cissexist and heterosexist violence and sexual violence victimization and perpetration, and small longitudinal links in these same constructs. Among young adults, the first literature identified focused on sexual intimate partner violence among sexual and gender minority individuals and found small or non-significant links between this construct and cissexist and heterosexist and sexual violence. A second literature found weak to strong links between homophobic/transphobic attitudes and sexual violence attitudes and/or behaviours among general samples of young adults. Together, these findings suggest that cissexist and heterosexist violence and sexual violence are linked in complex ways across development, and that interventions may benefit from addressing both forms of violence simultaneously.