Family Experiences and Teen Dating Violence among Transgender High Schoolers Using the 2023 YRBS

Authors

• Ray Vidrine, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Katelyn Coburn

Committee Members

Blakelee Kemp, Lexie Unhjem

Date of this Version

8-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science

Major: Child, Youth, and Family Studies

Under the supervision of Professor Katelyn Coburn

Lincoln, Nebraska, August 2026

Comments

Copyright 2026, Ray Vidrine. Used by permission

Abstract

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a serious concern associated with many negative health outcomes. Recent research has identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ+) young people at significant risk of TDV victimization. Most TDV knowledge comes from research on cisgender and heterosexual youth, but some researchers have identified a need for research to be conducted analyzing risk and protective factors to understand TDV experiences specific to LGBTQ+ identities. This study aims to use the 2023 YRBS to add to the growing body of research on transgender youths’ experiences of dating violence by analyzing the correlates of family-level risk and protective factors with TDV among transgender and gender questioning high schoolers. Transgender youth were found to have an increased likelihood of experiencing TDV. Gender identity groups were found to have different patterns of associations between TDV and family-risk factors, with only two of the included risk factors found to be correlated with TDV among transgender youth, while all risk factors were associated among cisgender youth. No interaction was found between transgender youths’ cumulative risk factor scores and protective factor scores with TDV outcomes. More research is needed to explore the unique experiences of transgender and gender questioning youth when it comes to TDV, particularly including individual and community factors.

Advisor: Katelyn Coburn