Experiencing sexual harassment by males and associated substance use & poor mental health outcomes among adolescent girls in the US

PURPOSE: Among a sample of adolescent girls, we assessed: 1) prevalence of sexual harassment by type, place of occurrence, and perpetrators; 2) association with substance use and poor mental health outcomes; and 3) the proportion of girls experiencing sexual harassment in more than one place and relation to study outcomes. METHODS: We collected survey data from 159 sexually active girls (aged 15–19 years) recruited from an urban health clinic in Southern California. We used multivariable regression models to assess associations between sexual harassment in the past 6 months and the following outcomes: 1) substance use in past 30 days (alcohol use, binge drinking, and marijuana use, respectively); 2) other drug use ever; and 3) feelings of depression and anxiety, respectively, in past 30 days. RESULTS: Almost two-thirds of girls (65.4%) reported experiencing sexual harassment in the past 6 months. Among those reporting recent harassment (n = 104), the abuse most frequently occurred in public spaces (on public transport [50.5%], at school [42.7%], and in their neighborhoods [39.8%]) and most often in the form of sexual comments, jokes, or gestures (57.2%), although 12.6% were “touched, grabbed, or pinched in a sexual way.” The vast majority (82.7%) did not know the perpetrators (82.7%). Experiences of sexual harassment in the past 6 months were significantly associated with alcohol use (odds ratio [OR], 4.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0–10.2), binge drinking (OR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.8–9.8), and marijuana use (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.2–5.7) in the past 30 days; other drug use ever (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 1.8–16.4); and feelings of depression (OR: 2.7; 95%CI: 1.3–5.5) and anxiety (OR: 2.6; 95%CI: 1.2–5.5) in the past 30 days. Just over half (55.3%) reported sexual harassment in more than one place, which was also associated with poor substance use and mental health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that sexual harassment experiences are pervasive, occur in girls' immediate and everyday environments, and are associated with girls’ substance use and adverse mental health outcomes.