Exploring the Link Between Sexual Harassment Victimization and Restricted Freedom of Movement: Unique Associations With Anxiety Across Victimization Contexts and Genders

Sexual harassment (SH) victimization is common and associated with emotional distress and anxiety among adolescents, but little is known about the potential associations between SH and behavioral correlates. Building on theory and previous research, this study was designed to explore the association between SH victimization, anxiety, and restricted freedom of movement (RFoM), referring to individual's engagement in restricting behavioral strategies for staying safe in one's everyday life. The unique impact of two common victimization contexts was assessed, SH by peers in school and SH online, as well as the moderating effect of gender. Cross-sectional data from 1,522 13 to 16-year-old Swedish adolescents was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results from a moderated mediation model showed significant direct associations between SH victimization and elevated anxiety (online for boys and offline for girls), and between SH victimization and RFoM behaviors (offline for boys and online for girls). Indirect associations were found between SH victimization and adolescents' RFoM behaviors, via the mediation of anxiety for offline forms of SH in adolescent girls and for online forms of SH for adolescent boys. These novel findings suggest that SH victimization is linked to adolescents' anxiety and restricting freedom behaviors, but that both gender and context matter in predicting these interrelations.