![[PDF]](/pb-assets/Icons/adobe-pdf-icon-1498649896243.png){kind=icon}
Abstract
This study examined the relationships among peer-to-peer sexual harassment, school climate, adult-to-student harassment, and outcomes (psychological and physical well-being; school withdrawal and safety) for high school girls (n = 310) and boys (n = 259) recruited from seven public high schools in a Midwestern state. More frequent, severe peer harassment was associated with being female; holding climate perceptions that one's school is tolerant of the harassment of girls; and experiencing more frequent, severe harassment by school personnel. The correlates associated with outcomes varied by outcome, with climate exerting a consistent influence on boys’ outcomes. Girls’ outcomes were associated with climate, harassment, or both. Findings suggest that more frequent, severe experiences of sexual harassment in the schools are associated with direct, negative effects on girls and indirect, negative effects on boys and girls through a school climate that tolerates the harassment of girls.
REFERENCES
| American Association of University Women Educational Foundation. (1993). Hostile hallways: The AAUW survey on sexual harassment in America's schools. Washington, DC: Author. Google Scholar | |
| American Association of University Women Educational Foundation. (2001). Hostile hallways: Bullying, teasing, and sexual harassment in school. Washington, DC: Author. Google Scholar | |
| Arvey, R. D., Cavanaugh, M. A. (1995). Using surveys to assess the prevalence of sexual harassment: Some methodological problems. Journal of Social Issues, 57, 117–138. Google Scholar | |
| Berdahl, J. L., Magley, V. J., Waldo, C. R. (1996). The sexual harassment of men? Psychology of Women Quarterly, 20, 527–547. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Cardwell, T. R. (2000). The effects of peer sexual harassment on high school girls and the moderating effects of mother attachment, father attachment, and school climate on grades, career decision-making self-efficacy, career aspirations, and a composite of negative school indicators. Dissertation Abstracts International, 61, 8B (UMI No. 9984938). Google Scholar | |
| Chesire, D. J. (2004). Test of an integrated model for high school sexual harassment. Dissertation Abstracts International, 66, 11B (UMI No. 3196663). Google Scholar | |
| Cochran, C. C., Frazier, P. A., Olson, A. M. (1997). Predictors of responses to unwanted sexual attention. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 207–226. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Google Scholar | |
| Collinsworth, L. L. (2000). Sexual harassment in high school. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Google Scholar | |
| Corbett, K., Gentry, C. S., Pearson, W. (1993). Sexual harassment in high school. Youth and Society, 25, 93–103. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Craig, W. M., Pepler, D., Connolly, J., Henderson, K. (2001). Developmental context of peer harassment in early adolescence: The role of puberty and the peer group. In Juvonen, J., Graham, S. (Eds.), Peer harassment in school: The plight of the vulnerable and victimized (pp. 242–261). New York: Guilford. Google Scholar | |
| Derogatis, L. R., Spencer, P. M. (1982). The Brief Symptom Inventory: Administration, scoring, and procedures manual—I. Baltimore: Clinical Psychometric Research. Google Scholar | |
| Duffy, J., Wareham, S., Walsh, M. (2004). Psychological consequences for high school students of having been sexually harassed. Sex Roles, 50, 811–821. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Dupper, D. R., Meyer-Adams, N. (2002). Low-level violence: A neglected aspect of school culture. Urban Education, 37, 350–364. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Fineran, S., Bennett, L. (1999). Gender and power issues of peer sexual harassment among teenagers. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 14, 626–641. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Fitzgerald, L. F., Drasgow, F., Hulin, C. L., Gelfand, M. J., Magley, V. J. (1997). Antecedents and consequences of sexual harassment in organizations: A test of an integrated model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 578–589. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Fitzgerald, L. F., Gelfand, M. J., Drasgow, F. (1995). Measuring sexual harassment: Theoretical and psychometric advances. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 17, 425–445. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Fitzgerald, L. F., Hulin, C. L., Drasgow, F. (1995). The antecedents and consequences of sexual harassment in organizations: An integrated model. In Keita, G. P., Hurrell, J. J. (Eds.), Job stress in a changing workforce: Investigating gender, diversity, and family issues (pp. 55–74). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Google Scholar | |
| Fitzgerald, L. F., Shullman, S., Bailey, N., Richards, M., Swecker, J., Gold, Y. (1988). The incidence and dimensions of sexual harassment in academia and the workplace. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 32, 152–175. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Fitzgerald, L. F., Swan, S., Fischer, K. (1995). Why didn't she just report him“ The psychological and legal implications of women's responses to sexual harassment. Journal of Social Issues, 51, 117–138. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Fitzgerald, L. F., Swan, S., Magley, V. J. (1997). But was it really sexual harassment“ Legal, behavioral, and psychological definitions of the workplace victimization of women. In O'Donohue, W. (Eds.), Sexual harassment: Theory, research, and treatment (pp. 5–28). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Google Scholar | |
| Gelfand, M. J., Fitzgerald, L. F., Drasgow, F. (1995). The structure of sexual harassment: A confirmatory analysis across cultures and settings. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 47, 164–177. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Glomb, T. M., Richman, W. L., Hulin, C. L., Drasgow, F., Schneider, K. T., Fitzgerald, L. F. (1997). Ambient sexual harassment: An integrated model of antecedents and consequences. Organizational Behavior & Human Decision Processes, 71, 309–328. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Grube, B., Lens, V. (2003). Student to student harassment: The impact of Davis v. Monroe. Children & Schools, 25, 173–185. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Gutek, B. A., Koss, M. P. (1993). Changed women and changed organizations: Consequences of and coping with sexual harassment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 42, 28–48. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Hand, J. Z., Sanchez, L. (2000). Badgering or bantering“ Gender differences in experience of, and reactions to, sexual harassment among U.S. high school students. Gender & Society, 14, 718–746. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Hanisch, K. A., Hulin, C. L. (1990). Job attitudes and organizational withdrawal: An examination of retirement and other voluntary withdrawal behaviors. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 37, 60–78. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Harned, M. S. (2000). Harassed bodies: An examination of the relationships among women's experiences of sexual harassment, body image, and eating disturbances. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 24, 336–348. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Harned, M. S., Fitzgerald, L. F. (2002). Understanding the link between sexual harassment and eating disorder symptoms: A mediational analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 1170–1181. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Houston, S., Hwang, N. (1996). Correlates of the objective and subjective experiences of sexual harassment in high school. Sex Roles, 34, 189–204. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Huerta, M., Cortina, L. M., Pang, J. S., Torges, C. M., Magley, M. J. (2006). Sex and power in the academy: Modeling sexual harassment in the lives of college women. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 616–628. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Hulin, C., Fitzgerald, L. F., Drasgow, F. (1996). Organizational influences on sexual harassment. In Stockdale, M. S. (Ed.), Sexual harassment in the workplace: Perspectives, frontiers, and response strategies (pp. 127–150). London: Sage. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Koss, M. P. (1990). Changed lives: The psychological impact of sexual harassment. In Paludi, M. A. (Ed.), Ivory power: Sexual harassment on campus (pp. 73–92). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Google Scholar | |
| Langhout, R. D., Bergman, M. E., Cortina, L. M., Fitzgerald, L. F., Drasgow, F., Williams, J. H. (2005). Sexual harassment severity: Assessing situational and personal determinants and outcomes. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 35, 975–1007. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Lazarus, R. S., Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer. Google Scholar | |
| Lee, V. E., Croninger, R. G., Linn, E., Chen, X. (1996). The culture of sexual harassment in secondary schools. American Educational Research Journal, 33, 383–417. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Lim, S., Cortina, L. M. (2005). Interpersonal mistreatment in the workplace: The interface and impact of general incivility and sexual harassment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 483–496. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Magley, V. J., Hulin, C. L., Fitzgerald, L. F., DeNardo, M. (1999). Outcomes of self-labeling sexual harassment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 390–402. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Mazzeo, S. E. (1999). Modification of an existing measure of body image preoccupation and its relationship to disordered eating in female college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 46, 42–50. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Miner-Rubino, K., Cortina, L. M. (2007). Beyond targets: Consequences of vicarious exposure to misogyny at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 1254–1269. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Munson, L. J., Miner, A. G., Hulin, C. (2001). Labeling sexual harassment in the military: An extension and replication. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 293–303. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Pryor, J. B., Giedd, J. L., Williams, K. B. (1995). A social psychological model for predicting sexual harassment. Journal of Social Issues, 51, 69–84. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Pryor, J. B., Whalen, N. J. (1997). A typology of sexual harassment: Characteristics of harassers and the social circumstances under which sexual harassment occurs. In O'Donohue, W. (Ed.), Sexual harassment: Theory, research, and treatment (pp. 129–151). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Google Scholar | |
| Reed, M. E. (2004). The psychological impact of sexual harassment and previous sexual victimization in a sample of class action litigants. Dissertation Abstracts International, 65, 11B (UMI No. 3153410). Google Scholar | |
| Richman-Hirsch, W. L., Glomb, T. M. (2002). Are men affected by the sexual harassment of women“ Effects of ambient sexual harassment on men. In Brett, J. M., Drasgow, F. (Eds.), The psychology of work: Theoretically based empirical research (pp. 121–140). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Google Scholar | |
| Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Rotundo, M., Nguyen, D., Sackett, P. R. (2001). A meta-analytic review of gender differences in perceptions of sexual harassment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 914–922. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Sabella, R. A. (2001). Faces of sexual harassment in schools. In Sandhu, D. S. (Ed.), Faces of violence: Psychological correlates, concepts, and intervention strategies (pp. 251–267). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Google Scholar | |
| Schneider, K. T., Swan, S., Fitzgerald, L. F. (1997). Job-related and psychological effects of sexual harassment in the workplace: Empirical evidence from two organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 401–415. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Sims, C. S. (2005). Reconceptualizing the role of climate in sexual harassment. Dissertation Abstracts International, 67, 1B (UMI No. 3202171). Google Scholar | |
| Smith, P. C., Kendall, L., Hulin, C. L. (1969). The measurement of satisfaction in work and retirement. Chicago: Rand McNally. Google Scholar | |
| Stone, M., Couch, S. (2004). Peer sexual harassment among high school students: Teachers' attitudes, perceptions, and responses. The High School Journal, 88, 1–13. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Stratton, S. D., Backes, J. S. (1997). Sexual harassment in North Dakota public schools: A study of eight high schools. High School Journal, 80, 163–172. Google Scholar | |
| Strauss, S. (2003). Sexual harassment in K-12. In Paludi, M., Paludi, C. A. (Eds.), Academic and workplace sexual harassment: A handbook of cultural, social science, management, and legal perspectives (pp. 105–145). Westport, CT: Greenwood. Google Scholar | |
| Timmerman, G. (2004). Adolescents' psychological health and experiences with unwanted sexual behavior at school. Adolescence, 39, 817–825. Google Scholar | Medline | |
| vanRoosmalen, E., McDaniel, S. A. (1998). Sexual harassment in academia: A hazard to women's health. Women and Health, 28, 33–54. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Waldo, C. R., Berdahl, J. L., Fitzgerald, L. F. (1998). Are men sexually harassed“ If so, by whom? Law and Human Behavior, 22, 59–79. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Williams, J. H., Fitzgerald, L. F., Drasgow, F. (1999). The effects of organizational practices on sexual harassment and individual outcomes in the military. Military Psychology, 11, 303–328. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Wright, C. V., Fitzgerald, L. F. (2007). Angry and afraid: Women's appraisal of sexual harassment during litigation. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 31, 73–84. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI |
