Preventing Sexual Harassment and Dating Violence Among Middle School Students

Session Submission Type: Symposium

Abstract

This session includes three papers that examine sexual harassment and dating violence among middle school students. The first paper includes results from focus groups conducted with 32 middle school teachers about their perceptions of the types of peer sexual harassment they encounter. The second paper employs a cluster analysis to examine the overlap between bullying and sexual harassment perpetration and victimization among a large sample of middle school students. The third paper presents results of an experiment that assessed the effectiveness of a universal primary prevention intervention to reduce dating violence and sexual harassment across 30 New York City middle schools. Each presenter will link findings with practical strategies for implementing and evaluating school-based prevention programs.

Sub Unit

• Division E - Counseling and Human Development / Section 1: Counseling

Chair

• Dorothy L. Espelage, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Papers

• Focus Groups With Middle School Teachers About Student Sexual Harassment - Ashleigh Jones, University of Illinois; Linda Charmaraman, Wellesley Centers for Women; Nan D. Stein, Wellesley College

• Sexual Harassment Perpetration and Victimization Experiences Across Bully-Victim Subtypes During Early Adolescence - Dorothy L. Espelage, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• National Institute of Justice Experimental Evaluation of a Youth Dating Violence Prevention Program in New York City Middle Schools - Bruce Taylor, Police Executive Research; Nan D. Stein, Wellesley College

Discussant

• Shelley C. Hymel, The University of British Columbia