Citation

Marshall SK, Faaborg-Andersen P, Tilton-Weaver LC, Stattin H. J. Adolesc. Health 2013; 53(6): 717-722.

Affiliation

School of Social Work/Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Electronic address: sheila.marshall@ubc.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.06.009

PMID

23890776

Abstract

PURPOSE: Although the receipt of peer sexual harassment in schools has been linked to deliberate self-injury, the direction of association over time has not been tested. Two longitudinal studies examined whether receipt of peer sexual harassment within schools predicts engagement in deliberate self-injury or vice versa. Differences between boys and girls were also tested. METHODS: Surveys were conducted in two countries, Canada and Sweden. Measures of sexual harassment and deliberate self-injury were administered yearly in classrooms. Two waves of data were collected in the Canadian study (N = 161, 59.6% girls, mean age = 13.82 years); three waves of data were collected in Sweden (N = 513, 47% girls, mean age = 13.23 years). RESULTS: In the Canadian study, deliberate self-injury predicted subsequent peer sexual harassment; the converse relationship was not significant. No significant gender differences were found. Across the three waves of the Swedish study, peer sexual harassment predicted self-injury from T1 to T2, and self-injury predicted peer sexual harassment from T2 to T3. However, self-injury did not mediate peer sexual harassment at T1 and T3. Tests of gender differences revealed self-injury predicted sexual harassment from T2 to T3 among Swedish girls but not boys. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents who deliberately self-injure may be vulnerable to sexual harassment by peers at school. Cultural norms may have a role in whether this process applies primarily to girls or to both genders. Sexual harassment by peers may also increase self-injury, but this is not subsequently linked to increases in receipt of sexual harassment.

Language: en