Trends in sexual harassment exposure among adolescents in Norway between 2017 and 2023 and associations with depressive symptoms

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine trends in sexual harassment victimization and possible changes in the association between sexual harassment victimization and depressive symptoms among adolescents (aged 16-19) in Norway between 2017 and 2023. METHODS: = 229 417). Descriptive analyses and chi-square tests were used to examine changes in sexual harassment victimization across years by gender and age. Logistic regression analyses were used to study temporal trends and potential changes in the association between sexual harassment victimization and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: The prevalence of any sexual harassment victimization increased significantly among adolescents between 2017 and 2023. Girls reported a higher prevalence of all forms of sexual harassment victimization than boys. When studying the genders separately, the increase in exposure over time was statistically significant only among girls. Sexual harassment victimization was significantly associated with depressive symptoms in all years for both boys and girls. The strength of this association was generally higher among boys than among girls, and this gender difference became more pronounced between 2017 and 2023. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate a significant increase in sexual harassment victimization among girls between 2017 and 2023. Although girls are more frequently exposed to sexual harassment than boys, the association with depressive symptoms tends to be stronger among boys, and this difference appears to increase over time.