Peer sexual harassment in adolescence: the function of gender.

Full Abstract

The author describes the sexual harassment experiences of 565 male and female students in Grades 9 through 11 and discusses the influence of the social construction of gender on those experiences. The sample was drawn from 12 schools in 2 Canadian provinces. The study employed a retrospective correlational survey design, using self-report questionnaires administered in class. The results indicate that sexual harassment is pervasive among both male and female adolescents but is particularly problematic for girls due to their qualitatively different harassment experiences. Both girls and boys reported gender harassment to be, in general, more upsetting than unwanted sexual advances. Girls employed a greater variety of coping strategies than boys; however, for both sexes passive coping strategies were predominant. The author offers recommendations related to school health programming and discusses the role of the school nurse.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Dahinten, V Susan (VS);

Affiliation: School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, T201-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2B5, Canada. dahinten(-atsign-)nursing.ubc.ca

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmières (Can J Nurs Res), published in Canada. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Jun; vol 35 (issue 2) : pp 56-73

Dates: Created 2003/08/11; Completed 2003/09/15; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 12908197, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adaptation, Psychological
Adolescent
Adolescent Psychology - statistics & numerical data
British Columbia - epidemiology
Female
Humans
Male
Needs Assessment
New Brunswick - epidemiology
Nurse's Role

Nurse's Role
Peer Group
Prevalence
Questionnaires
Retrospective Studies
School Nursing
Sex
Sex Factors
Sexual Harassment - prevention & control; psychology; statistics & numerical data
Students - psychology; statistics & numerical data

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

Bullying and sexual harassment among Brazilian high school students. 30 Aug 2005
An empirical study of stalking victimization. 30 Dec 1999
Stalking on campus: the prevalence and strategies for coping with stalking. 29 Jun 1997
[School girls' vulnerability] 7 Feb 1998
Nurses' experience of violence in Alberta and British Columbia hospitals. 27 Feb 2001
Workplace violence. A focus on verbal abuse and intent to leave the organization. 29 Jun 2003
Mistreatment of university students most common during medical studies. 16 Oct 2005
College women's experience of stalking: mental health symptoms and changes in routines. 30 May 2006
Risk factors for peer sexual harassment in schools. 30 Aug 2006
Sugar and spice and puppy dogs' tails: the psychodynamics of bullying. 30 Dec 2006

See 100+ related articles.