Sexual Harassment – More Harmful Than Bullying
Study Reveals the Impact of Sexual Harasment in School
Nov 10, 2009
Bullying is an epidemic that has been troubling school personnel for decades, and it seems to be getting worse. Schools have responded by focusing on bullying prevention programs. However, a study comparing the impact of various types of peer victimization revealed a more serious and potentially harmful harassment issue – sexual harassment.
Study Looks at the Differences Between Bullying & Sexual Harassment
In the study, James Gruber from the University of Michigan-Deaborn and Susan Fineran from the University of Southern Maine reported that 52% of students had been bullied and 35% had been sexually harassed. One-third of the students had endured both forms of victimization.
The study was the first ever to measure and compare the frequency and impact of these two types of bullying. The researchers followed 522 middle school students over the school year, and gave them a questionnaire that asked how often they experienced each type of behavior (bullying and sexually harassing behaviors), who the perpetrators were, and how the victims reacted to it.
The Impact of Sexual Harassment on Kids
Even though the sexual harassment was less common than bullying, it had the greatest negative impact on girls and gay, lesbian, bisexual and "questioning" youth; they reported significant difficulties with self-esteem, mental and physical health and substance abuse, as well as more frequent trauma symptoms (sleep problems, emotional outbursts, depression and anxiety, for example).
Schools Need to Shift Focus, Researchers Say
Gruber and Fineran's study indicates that schools should focus on sexual harassment as a separate problem rather than lumping it in with bullying. They say that by treating sexual harassment merely as another form of bullying, school officials are minimizing the potentially severe impact on the victims' mental and physical health.
They argue that the prevention of sexual harassment, like bullying, should be a focus of concern on its own.
Students who are sexually harassed are usually too embarrassed to report it, but the ramifications of enduring this type of victimization can be extreme and have long-lasting negative effects. Sexually harassed students often suffer a drop in grades, and frequently drop classes or even switch schools to escape the harasser.
Federal Law Prohibits Sexual Harassment in Schools
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 – usually simply called Title IX – was designed to protect students from pre-school to graduate school from sexual discrimination and sexual harassment. It requires schools to have and distribute a policy that addresses these issues and gives youth and parents an avenue to pursue a grievance when sexual harassment occurs.
What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Children From Sexual Harassment
Parents should talk with their children about the difference between flirting and harassment, and empower them to refuse any sort of behaviors that make them feel uncomfortable or intimidated.
They should be instructed to tell a trusted adult immediately if sexual harassment of any kind occurs, including:
- Unwanted touching
- Sexual remarks, stories, or dirty jokes
- Displaying pornographic photos
- Spreading sexual rumors
- "Flashing"
- Obscene gestures
- Offers for special treatment in exchange for sexual favors (common among sexual predators in power situations, like teachers or coaches)
Kids should also know that, even if they flirted with the harasser, the harassment is not their fault. No youth should experience any kind of unwanted sexual attention or victimization, at school or anywhere else in their lives.
References
Gruber, J.E , & Fineran, S. "Comparing the Impact of Bullying and Sexual Harassment Victimization on the Mental and Physical Health of Adolescents". Sex Roles (2008):58, (13-14)
Gruber, J.E., & Fineran, S. "The Impact of Bullying and Sexual Harassment on Middle School and High School Girls". Violence Against Women (2007):13, (2), 627-643.
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