Correlates of sexual harassment victimization among adolescents: A scoping review

Abstract

Sexual harassment (SH) is an important public health problem among adolescents and is associated with negative outcomes. Using a theory‐based, developmentally‐informed approach, this scoping review focuses on SH victimization among adolescents (number of studies included = 20) and aims to (1) examine how the extant literature on correlates of SH defined and measured SH, and (2) identify correlates associated with SH victimization among adolescents, focusing particularly on differences between boys and girls. For the first objective, results showed variations in the definition of SH used, with very few studies employing validated measures of SH. For the second objective, the most frequently examined and supported correlates were those stemming from transactional models. Important gender differences in correlates emerged between boys and girls. Among girls' previous victimization experiences emerged as the most consistent correlates of SH, while among boys, adherence to gender role norms and beliefs and higher perception of personal power were most consistently associated with higher SH victimization. Prevention of SH needs to include youth, teachers, and parents as the results show the influence of all these social contexts in SH victimization. These prevention efforts should target groups at higher risk of SH, such as sexual and gender minority youth.

What have we learned about sexual harassment among young people? Concluding reflections

“…Across the published papers, these groups comprise non‐Western, ethnic minority, sexual minority, and male victims of sexual harassment. In line with theoretical propositions, for example, social hierarchy theory (see Bolduc et al., 2022), minority groups may be extra vulnerable to sexual harassment due to their lower status in society. From this point of view, sexual harassment may thus be used by perpetrators to reinforce this already lower social position.…”

“…Norms and attitudes were also found at the micro‐level, related to young people's close contexts of peers, teachers, and schools. Several of the studies showed that peers convey powerful norms that may influence young people's experiences of sexual harassment and potentially normalize sexual harassment among peers at this age (Bolduc et al., 2022; Honkatukia et al., 2022; Ringrose & Regehr, 2023). Importantly, peer norms were often stereotypically gendered, putting pressure on young men/boys to engage in sexual harassment to appear masculine, and putting shame and blame on girls for being sexually harassed (Ringrose & Regehr, 2023).…”

“…Erentzen and colleagues’ study shed light on how (faulty) assumptions that men are seldomly sexually victimized, suffer less harm than female victims, and even enjoy unsolicited female sexual attention complicate young men's experiences of being exposed to sexual harassment by a female perpetrator. As discussed in Bolduc et al.’s (2022) paper, the theoretical underpinnings of research studies affect whether boys and young men's experiences of sexual harassment are acknowledged—or if they are not.…”

“…An important take home message from the studies that focus on minority groups or otherwise unheard research participants is that prevention should target groups that are at risk of being subjects of sexual harassment. The most convincing evidence to date concern sexual and gender minority youth, who are subjected to sexual harassment to a greater extent than others (Bolduc et al., 2022). It also seems crucial to acknowledge that both girls and boys can be victims of sexual harassment, and that we need to listen to the experiences of young people regardless of gender.…”

“…In their scoping review, Bolduc et al. (2022) put the spotlight on how the sexual harassment research field is marked by heterogeneity in terms of theoretical perspectives, and how this heterogeneity in turn influences what types of correlates empirical studies focus on. Several of the correlates proposed within different theoretical frameworks are also reflected by the papers published in this special issue, for example, minority status, pubertal development, and norms and attitudes (Erentzen et al., 2022; Herrera Hernandez & Oswald, 2022; Honkatukia et al., 2022; Horn & Poteat, 2022; Li et al., 2022; Ormerod et al., 2022; Ringrose & Regehr, 2023; Skoog & Kapetanovic, 2022).…”