(PS10-70) Helping Intentions and Aggressions Toward LGB-TNB Individuals: The Role of Context and Justification of Violence Beliefs

Abstract Text: The general aggression model (Bushman & Anderson, 2002) is one of the most relevant theories for explaining aggressive behavior, as it integrates various approaches to human aggression. Although widely studied in different contexts of violence, its application to understanding aggression directed toward trans and non-binary individuals remains limited. Address this gap is crucial, as aggression against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and non-binary (LGB-TNB) individuals is a significant social and clinical issue requiring greater attention and research. This cross-sectional study examined whether exposure to negative comments (ENC) in different contexts (family, friends, and social media) toward LGB-TNB individuals, along with cognitive structures justifying violence, are individually and interactively associated with helping intentions and aggression toward LGB and TNB individuals. The sample consisted of 791 adolescents (50.4% cisgender women, 48.7% cisgender men, 0.3% non-binary individuals, 0.1% transgender women, and 0.4% transgender men) aged 14 to 18 years (M = 16.31; SD = 0.87). Self-report measures were used to assess ENC in various contexts, justification of violence beliefs, helping intentions, and aggressive behaviors based on both sexual orientation and gender identity. The results showed that ENC in family and friend contexts was associated with higher levels of aggression toward LGB and TNB individuals. ENC within the family context was linked to a lower intention to help LGB individuals. Justification of violence was associated with increased aggression and decreased helping intentions toward both LGB and TNB individuals. Moreover, justificatory beliefs about violence strengthened the association between ENC among friends and aggression toward LGB and TNB individuals while weakening the association between ENC among friends and the intention to help LGB and TNB individuals. Finally, justification of violence heightened the association between ENC on social media and aggression toward LGB individuals. These findings highlight the importance of addressing ENC in social environments and challenging the normalization of violence as key strategies for preventing violence against LGB-TNB individuals. From a clinical and psychosocial perspective, the results also suggest the need for prevention programs targeting justification of violence beliefs. A cognitive-behavioral approach is particularly crucial in developing evidence-based interventions to reduce violence against LGB-TNB individuals.