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Associations between Sexual Harassment Victimization and Mental Health Outcomes – Does It Matter How We Measure Mental Health?

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  • Åsa Svensson

    (Mid Sweden University)

  • Heléne Dahlqvist

    (Mid Sweden University)

  • Katja Gillander Gådin

    (Mid Sweden University)

Abstract

Poor mental health in adolescent boys and girls has been linked to both in-person and online sexual harassment (SH), but studies have typically analyzed the association using a single measure. The aim of this study was to explore the associations of SH victimization using different measures and cut-off values for mental ill health among adolescents. The study used a cross-sectional design with data collected by a web-based questionnaire in 2012. Participants were 1,026 students in grades 7–9 in nine public and one independent school in Sweden. Data were analyzed with logistic regression models for the total sample and separately for girls and boys. In the total sample, all forms of victimization were significantly positively associated with all dependent variables of mental ill health irrespective of the cut-off values used. ORs ranged from 1.54 (95% CI: 1.14, 2.08) for low quality of life using a cut-off value of

Suggested Citation

  • Åsa Svensson & Heléne Dahlqvist & Katja Gillander Gådin, 2025. "Associations between Sexual Harassment Victimization and Mental Health Outcomes – Does It Matter How We Measure Mental Health?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 177(2), pages 581-598, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:177:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s11205-025-03529-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-025-03529-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Franziska Reiss & Ann-Katrin Meyrose & Christiane Otto & Thomas Lampert & Fionna Klasen & Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer, 2019. "Socioeconomic status, stressful life situations and mental health problems in children and adolescents: Results of the German BELLA cohort-study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(3), pages 1-16, March.
    2. Curt Hagquist, 2008. "Psychometric Properties of the PsychoSomatic Problems Scale: A Rasch Analysis on Adolescent Data," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 86(3), pages 511-523, May.
    3. Reiss, Franziska, 2013. "Socioeconomic inequalities and mental health problems in children and adolescents: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 24-31.
    4. K. Levin & C. Currie, 2014. "Reliability and Validity of an Adapted Version of the Cantril Ladder for Use with Adolescent Samples," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 119(2), pages 1047-1063, November.
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