DEARBORN, Mich., April 24 (UPI) -- Sexual harassment, though less common than bullying among students, has a greater negative impact than bullying on teenagers' health, a U.S. study found.
James Gruber from the University of Michigan at Dearborn and Susan Fineran from the University of Southern Maine examined the frequency and health implications of both bullying and sexual harassment among 522 middle- and high-school students.
The teens completed a questionnaire that asked how often they had experienced each behavior during the school year, who the perpetrators were and what was their reaction.
The study, published in the journal Sex Roles, said bullying was more frequent than sexual harassment for both boys and girls -- 52 percent of students had been bullied and 35 percent were sexually harassed.
Almost one-third had been subject to both behaviors.
Girls were bullied or harassed as frequently as boys, but gays, lesbians and bisexuals were submitted to greater levels of both.
Gruber and Fineran said sexual harassment causes more harm than bullying in both boys and girls, but girls as well as gays, lesbians and bisexuals appeared to be the most affected by sexual harassment, suffering from lower self-esteem, poorer mental and physical health and more trauma symptoms than boys.
