The intertwined evolution of sexual harassment victimization and emotional problems among young people

Abstract

Associations between sexual‐harassment victimization and emotional problems are well‐established. Still, the nature of this association, including the temporal order of the construct as well as whether it plays out on the between‐ or within‐individual level is far from being understood. The aim of this study was to examine reciprocal links between sexual harassment victimization and emotional problems over time in early and mid‐adolescence by separating between‐individual from within‐individual effects and by testing the moderating effect of ethnicity and gender. In the study, we made use of three waves of data with 1515 Swedish adolescents (50.6% girls, age 12.59 years at T1). Cross‐lagged within‐individual analyses showed that sexual harassment and emotional problems were related in a transactional manner. Gender, but not ethnicity, moderated the associations. The associations differed in early and mid‐adolescence, perhaps because of normative school transitions. The findings have high theoretical value as it is on the within‐individual level that the causal processes between being sexually harassed and experiencing emotional problems unfold. The study makes a unique contribution to the literature on sexual harassment and mental health among young people by revealing transactional associations on the within‐individual level during a critical period for psychological and sexual development.

Sexual assault and harassment (SAH) victimization disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual Chinese youth

“…We estimated a 16.02% lifetime prevalence rate for sexual assault and a 52.83% lifetime prevalence rate for sexual harassment victimization, together with more than half of the Chinese college students in our sample (55.41%) having experienced SAH. Given the long‐term, adverse impact of SAH victimization (Campbell et al., 2014; Gruber & Fineran, 2007; Khadr et al., 2018; Skoog & Kapetanovic, 2023), our findings provide unequivocal evidence on the severity of SAH issues in China that warrants attention from clinicians and policymakers. More specifically, among all victims of sexual assault, 83.93% have experienced both sexual assault and sexual harassment; in contrast, among all victims of sexual harassment, around 25.45% have experienced both types of victimization.…”

“…Influenced by the global #MeToo movement, sexual assault and harassment (SAH) concerns have entered unprecedented public discourse worldwide, including in China (Shi & Zheng, 2021). SAH warrants clinical and policy interventions due to its detrimental health and mental health sequela, including unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, physical pain symptoms, and high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the victims (Campbell et al., 2008; Gruber & Fineran, 2007; Khadr et al., 2018; Skoog & Kapetanovic, 2023). In addition, extant evidence from Western nations has suggested SAH disproportionally impact gender and sexual minorities (Berlan et al., 2010; Coulter et al., 2017; Mennicke et al., 2020; Mitchell et al., 2014; Wood et al., 2018).…”

Correlates of sexual harassment victimization among adolescents: A scoping review

“…Third, the state of the existing literature does not permit for an understanding of correlates according to the type of perpetrator (i.e., a peer perpetrator, an adult perpetrator), gender of perpetrator (i.e., same‐sex vs. different sex SH), or perpetrator age (i.e., was the perpetrator older or younger). Indeed, different types of correlates may be associated with SH victimization by different individuals (Skoog & Kapetanovic, 2022). Finally, a majority of studies included in this review were cross‐sectional.…”

“…Finally, a majority of studies included in this review were cross-sectional. Thus, it is impossible to draw conclusions regarding the directionality of the associations between the identified correlates and SH, and some of the correlates may be better conceptualized as consequences of SH victimization (Skoog & Kapetanovic, 2022).…”

PSH‐C: A measure of peer sexual harassment among children

“…Peer sexual harassment among adolescents is a common problem around the world associated with several adverse outcomes, including an increased risk of emotional problems (Sagrestano et al., 2019; Skoog & Kapetanovic, 2021, 2022), body shame (Lindberg et al., 2007), self‐harm behavior (Bucchianeri et al., 2014), suicidal thoughts (Chiodo et al., 2009), and poorer academic achievement (Lichty & Campbell, 2012). The prevalence and severity of peer sexual harassment among adolescents calls for measures to address the problem earlier (i.e., before adolescence) in young people's lives.…”