ERIC Number: EJ1006765
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Jan
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0012-1649
EISSN: N/A
Peer Sexual Harassment and Disordered Eating in Early Adolescence
Petersen, Jennifer L.; Hyde, Janet S.
Developmental Psychology, v49 n1 p184-195 Jan 2013
Peer sexual harassment is a pervasive problem in schools and is associated with a variety of negative mental health outcomes. Objectification theory suggests that sexual attention in the form of peer harassment directs unwanted attention to the victim's body and may lead to a desire to alter the body via disordered eating. In the current study, we used latent growth modeling with a sample of 406 U.S. adolescents to examine the relationship between longitudinal trends in peer sexual harassment from 5th to 9th grade and disordered eating in 9th grade. Longitudinal trends in self-surveillance were proposed as a mediator of the relationships. Results indicated that the relationship between upsetting sexual harassment at 5th grade and disordered eating symptoms at 9th grade was mediated by self-surveillance at 5th grade. Girls reported more upsetting sexual harassment, more self-surveillance, and thus more disordered eating than boys did. These results are in accord with objectification theory, which proposes that sexual harassment is a form of sexual objectification and may lead to self-surveillance and disordered eating. (Contains 4 tables and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Early Adolescents, Bullying, Correlation, Sexual Harassment, Eating Disorders, Mental Health, Victims, Longitudinal Studies, Trend Analysis, Gender Differences, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Theories, Grade 5, Grade 8, Human Body
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A