T10-O-30 Peer sexual harassment in adolescence: incidence and gender differences in a Spanish sample

Abstract

Objective Although previous studies with US, Canadian and Australian samples suggest that peer sexual harassment is a widespread problem, there is a lack of research on this topic with Spanish samples. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the incidence of peer sexual harassment among Spanish adolescents, as well as examine gender differences in victimization rates. Method and design Two hundred and eighty three (150 boys, 133 girls) high school students from Salamanca (Spain) responded to an anonymous self-report questionnaire consisting of 10 items describing personal experiences of different behaviours related to sexual harassment during the previous year. Results According to descriptive analysis, 90% of participants reported having been exposed to some behavior related to sexual harassment during last year. Most commonly cited types of behaviour were of verbal nature, whereas sexual assault and forced kissed were the least reported. Both boys and girls appeared to be victims to the same extent, but significantly differed in the reporting of homophobic insults and sexual personal comments against them. Conclusions Although Spanish boys and girls seem to be equally likely to be harassed, there may be gender differences in the specific type of behaviour affecting them. Moreover, since Spanish high-school students are exposed to a variety of inappropriate behaviours of a sexual nature that may affect their emotional well-being, we encourage the need for additional research on peer to peer sexual harassment among this population.