What factors contribute to LGBTQ+ harassment perpetration? The roles of general and LGBTQ+ moral disengagement

ABSTRACT

Violence towards LGBTQ+ people is a topic of growing social and research interest. The scientific literature has mainly focused on victimization, with few studies exploring the factors that could trigger LGBTQ+ harassment perpetration in adolescents. Moral disengagement is postulated as a possible predictor variable as it has previously shown a relation with other forms of stigma-based harassment. However, there are no conclusive studies available in this regard in relation to LGBTQ+ harassment. The present study aims to fill this gap by analysing the predictive role of general and LGBTQ+ moral disengagement in LGBTQ+ harassment perpetration, differentiating between cisgender heteronormative and LGBTQ+ youths. A total of 1971 Spanish adolescents aged 12–18 years (M = 15.01; SD = 1.70; 24.30% LGBTQ+) participated in this cross-sectional study. The results showed that moral disengagement predicted LGBTQ+ harassment perpetration according to moral justifications and the characteristics of the population. This study provides relevant information for preventing LGBTQ+ harassment and identifying the role of moral disengagement therein.

KEYWORDS:

• LGBTQ+
• harassment
• moral disengagement
• adolescent
• perpetration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Raw data were generated at SPSS v.26. Derived data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author P.E. on request.

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2024.2344253

Notes

¹ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, and any other sexual minority.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Andalusian Plan for Research, Development and Innovation (PAIDI, 2020); ERDF Andalusia European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Operational Program 2014-2020 under Grant P18-RT-2178; and The Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities under Grant PRE2018-083510.