@article{ref1,
title="Experiencing sexual harassment by males and associated substance use & poor mental health outcomes among adolescent girls in the US",
journal="SSM - Population Health",
year="2019",
author="Reed, Elizabeth and Salazar, Marissa and Agah, Niloufar and Behar, Alma I. and Silverman, Jay G. and Walsh-Buhi, Eric and Rusch, Melanie L. A. and Raj, Anita",
volume="9",
number="",
pages="e100476-e100476",
abstract="PURPOSE: Among a sample of adolescent girls, we assessed: 1) prevalence of sexual harassment by type, place of occurrence, and perpetrators; 2) association with substance use and poor mental health outcomes; and 3) the proportion of girls experiencing sexual harassment in <i>more than one place</i> and relation to study outcomes. <br><br>METHODS: We collected survey data from 159 sexually active girls (aged 15-19 years) recruited from an urban health clinic in Southern California. We used multivariable regression models to assess associations between sexual harassment in the past 6 months and the following outcomes: 1) substance use in past 30 days (alcohol use, binge drinking, and marijuana use, respectively); 2) other drug use ever; and 3) feelings of depression and anxiety, respectively, in past 30 days. <br><br>RESULTS: Almost two-thirds of girls (65.4%) reported experiencing sexual harassment in the past 6 months. Among those reporting recent harassment (n = 104), the abuse most frequently occurred in public spaces (on public transport [50.5%], at school [42.7%], and in their neighborhoods [39.8%]) and most often in the form of sexual comments, jokes, or gestures (57.2%), although 12.6% were &quot;touched, grabbed, or pinched in a sexual way.&quot; The vast majority (82.7%) did not know the perpetrators (82.7%). Experiences of sexual harassment in the past 6 months were significantly associated with alcohol use (odds ratio [OR], 4.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0-10.2), binge drinking (OR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.8-9.8), and marijuana use (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.2-5.7) in the past 30 days; other drug use ever (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 1.8-16.4); and feelings of depression (OR: 2.7; 95%CI: 1.3-5.5) and anxiety (OR: 2.6; 95%CI: 1.2-5.5) in the past 30 days. Just over half (55.3%) reported sexual harassment in more than one place, which was also associated with poor substance use and mental health outcomes. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that sexual harassment experiences are pervasive, occur in girls' immediate and everyday environments, and are associated with girls' substance use and adverse mental health outcomes.<br><br>© 2020 The Authors.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2352-8273",
doi="10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100476",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100476"
}