the Impact of Nonphysical Sexual Harassment in Teens

Sexual harassment of a nonphysical nature damages psychological well-being in teenagers...

...according to a study published in the International Journal of Public Health.
“The findings imply that although sticks and stones may break bones, it does seem that derogatory words and other forms of nonphysical sexual harassment definitely harm high school students,” researchers wrote.

The study included a pair of large samples of high school students in Norway. In all, 2869 teens responded to questionnaires about recent experiences of nonphysical peer sexual harassment, such as derogatory sexual remarks, unwanted sexual attention, and being shown sexually-oriented images, and physically coercive sexual behavior, such as unwanted kissing, groping, and intercourse.

• The surveys also addressed indicators of well-being, including anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and body image.

“As far as we know, this is the first study that has distinguished between these two forms [of sexual harassment] and specifically looked at the effects of nonphysical sexual harassment,” said researcher Mons Bendixen, PhD, an associate professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim.

Dr. Bendixen and colleagues found that girls and boys were equally exposed to nonphysical sexual harassment. About 62% of each sex said they had experienced nonphysical sexual harassment by a peer within the past year. Such exposure, researchers said, negatively affected symptoms of anxiety, depression, poor body image, and low self-esteem.

• Girls were more negatively affected than boys.

Researchers are unsure what strategies can be implemented to reduce sexual harassment in all forms but plan to look into it in an upcoming study.

“This has been studied for years and in numerous countries, but no studies have yet revealed any lasting effects of measures aimed at combating sexual harassment,” said Dr. Bendixen. “We know that attitude campaigns can change people’s attitudes to harassment, but it doesn’t result in any reduction in harassment behavior.”

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