{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T07:02:45Z","timestamp":1790233365390,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,18]],"date-time":"2024-01-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1705536000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Sexual harassment is common in most countries and cultures. Less is known about sexual harassment, its risk factors, and psychosocial outcomes among young adolescents. The aim of the study was to examine the 12-month prevalence of sexual harassment exposure, and sociodemographic and psychosocial factors associated with exposure among junior high school students in Norway.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>A comprehensive cross-sectional study was completed by 83,297 Norwegian adolescents in junior high school in 2021. Data on exposure to sexual harassment were used in combination with sociodemographic measures and psychosocial outcomes: depressive symptoms, loneliness, self-esteem, and well-being. Group differences were analyzed with Chi Square tests, and sociodemographic risk factors were analyzed with logistic regression. Psychosocial outcomes were assessed with multivariate and univariate ANOVAs, and dose\u2013response relationships were assessed with linear regression.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Among the adolescents, 32.6% had experienced sexual harassment during the past year. Girls had higher odds of exposure (OR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.84\u20131.96), whereas adolescents whose parents had higher education had lower odds (OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.90\u20130.99). Exposure was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms (partial \u03b7<jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup> [ES]\u2009=\u20090.11) and loneliness (ES\u2009=\u20090.07), and with lower self-esteem (ES\u2009=\u20090.06) and well-being (ES\u2009=\u20090.06). Among exposed adolescents, more frequent exposure was associated with poorer outcomes.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Exposure to sexual harassment affects one third of junior high school students in Norway. Those who are exposed have poorer psychosocial outcomes, and there is a dose\u2013response relationship between exposure and outcomes. Awareness of sexual harassment among young adolescents, and interventions to prevent and reduce it, are needed.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1307605","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,18]],"date-time":"2024-01-18T04:32:55Z","timestamp":1705552375000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Sexual harassment exposure among junior high school students in Norway: prevalence and associated factors"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Tore","family":"Bonsaksen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anne Mari","family":"Steigen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marie Dahlen","family":"Granrud","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cecilie Ruud","family":"Dangmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tonje Holte","family":"Stea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"926","DOI":"10.1177\/1065912920924824","article-title":"The effect of the #MeToo movement on political engagement and ambition in 2018","volume":"73","author":"Castle","year":"2020","journal-title":"Polit Res Q"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"425","DOI":"10.1207\/s15324834basp1704_2","article-title":"Measuring sexual harassment: theoretical and psychometric advances","volume":"17","author":"Fitzgerald","year":"1995","journal-title":"Basic Appl Soc Psychol"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"285","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-orgpsych-012420-055606","article-title":"Putting people down and pushing them out: sexual harassment in the workplace","volume":"8","author":"Cortina","year":"2021","journal-title":"Annu Rev Organ Psychol Organ Behav"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"603","DOI":"10.1007\/s10896-019-00082-y","article-title":"Sexual victimization and sexual harassment among college students: a comparative analysis","volume":"35","author":"Pinchevsky","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Fam Violence"},{"key":"ref5","volume-title":"An updated status of knowledge about sexual harassment among students in secondary education [En oppdatert kunnskapsstatus om seksuell trakassering blant elever i ungdomsskolen og videreg\u00e5ende oppl\u00e6ring]","author":"Bendixen","year":"2016"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"202","DOI":"10.1016\/j.adolescence.2021.10.003","article-title":"Online sexual harassment and cyberbullying in a nationally representative sample of teens: prevalence, predictors, and consequences","volume":"93","author":"Copp","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Adolesc"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"195","DOI":"10.1177\/1524838016650189","article-title":"Technology-facilitated sexual violence: a literature review of empirical research","volume":"19","author":"Henry","year":"2018","journal-title":"Trauma Violence Abuse"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104","DOI":"10.1177\/0004865814524218","article-title":"Beyond the \u201csext\u201d: technology-facilitated sexual violence and harassment against adult women","volume":"48","author":"Henry","year":"2015","journal-title":"Aust N Z J Criminol"},{"key":"ref9","volume-title":"The prevalence of sexual harassment in Norway: A rapid review [Omfang av seksuell trakassering i Norge: En hurtigoversikt]","author":"Jardim","year":"2022"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijchp.2015.08.002","article-title":"Peer sexual harassment in adolescence: dimensions of the sexual harassment survey in boys and girls","volume":"16","author":"Vega-Gea","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int J Clin Health Psychol"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jadohealth.2013.01.006","article-title":"Weightism, racism, classism, and sexism: shared forms of harassment in adolescents","volume":"53","author":"Bucchianeri","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Adolesc Health"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0262248","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0262248","article-title":"Sexual harassment in secondary school: prevalence and ambiguities. 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