Effects of an Interactive School-Based Program for Preventing Adolescent Sexual Harassment: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Evaluation Study

Abstract

Many adolescents experience sexual harassment and victims of sexual harassment have higher risks regarding well-being and health behaviors such as higher risks of suicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation and feeling unsafe at school. A peer-performed play and school lessons on preventing sexual harassment behavior were presented to secondary school students. We evaluated its effectiveness, using a cluster-randomized controlled design to assign schools to an experimental condition [n = 14 schools; 431 students (51 % female)] and a control condition [n = 11 schools; 384 students (51 % female)]. To measure the effects of the intervention at first post-test and 6-month follow-up, our multilevel analyses used a two-level random intercept model. Outcome measures were sexual harassment behaviors, behavioral determinants and distal factors influencing these behaviors. At post-test, students in the experimental group reported a reduced intention to commit sexual harassment behavior and higher self-efficacy in rejecting it. At post-test and follow-up there was a significant positive effect on social norms for rejecting sexual harassment behavior. At follow-up, sexual self-esteem was higher in students in the experimental group than in the control group. Effects on these determinants will benefit adolescents’ future sexual behaviors. In combination, the play and lessons, possibly together with continued sexual health education and skills programs on social-emotional learning in subsequent school years, have potential for preventing sexual harassment behavior.

The effects of non-physical peer sexual harassment on high school students’ psychological well-being in Norway: consistent and stable findings across studies

“…At the same time interventions designed particularly to deal with sexual harassment have proven ineffective with regard to affecting behavior (Connolly et al 2015;de Lijster et al 2016;Pina et al 2009). In developing interventions, we believe one must target the more common forms of peer sexual harassment, based upon future empirical knowledge on the active mechanisms driving this behavior.…”

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“…Obstaja namreč težnja, da se spolno nadlegovanje razume kot »izreden« pojav in ne kot vsakodnevni izraz razmerij moči med spoloma, ki se lahko manifestira v različnih situacijah in na več načinov. Najširše je spolno nadlegovanje v kontekstu šole definirano kot »nezaželena spolna pozornost, ki jo izkusijo številni adolescenti in ne vključuje samo fizičnih kontaktov, kot so denimo poljubljanje, objemanje in dotikanje, ampak tudi nefizične kontakte, kot so denimo spolne pripombe, šale, geste ali pogledi, kazanje eksplicitnih spolnih vsebin, sporočil ali zapisov ter razširjanje govoric s spolno vsebino« (de Lijster et al, 2016). Vendar so spolno nadlegovanje lahko tudi ravnanja, ki niso nujno videna kot neposredno »seksualna« (prim.…”

The Positive Impact of School-Based Peer Education Program Towards Adolescent Sexual Behavior: A Systematic Review

“…The six studies above showed that sexual and reproductive education programs, in general, have positive impact to change teenagers sexual behavior (Adeleye et al, 2014;de Lijster, Felten, Kok, & Kocken, 2016;Denison et al, 2012;Mahat, Scoloveno, & Scoloveno, 2016;Menna, Ali, & Worku, 2015;Odundo, Anjuri, & Odhiambo) and other studies showed no significance between the health education school with sexual behavior (Jennings, Howard, & Perotte, 2014). However one study that shows two sexual behavior indicates that there is a significant one partner's behavior and sexual intercourse to abstain for a year in post © 2017 The author and GRDS Publishing.…”