Sexual Harassment Within and Outside Sports

Sexual Harassment Among Students at Elite Sport High Schools and Regular High Schools in Norway

This study examines sexual harassment and abuse in and outside sports among adolescent elite athlete boys and girls, adolescent control students, trainers and leaders at elite sport high schools and regular high schools in Norway.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Psychological Distress; Prevention; Sexual Abuse; Sexual Harassment

Detailed Description

The purpose of the study is to examine the prevalence and outcome of sexual harassment within and outside sports, including who the perpetrators are, the association between experienced sexual harassment and psychological health, knowledge of report mechanisms and emergency plans, and the participants suggestions for preventive strategies. The knowledge from this study will be a good basis to establish and implement prevention strategies and educational programs in the future.

Students, trainers (with more than 20 % employment status) and leaders at elite sport high schools and regular high schools in Norway will answer a questionnaire at two measurement points. Additionally, a sample of randomly selected students who report experiences with sexual harassment, and a random sample of trainers and leaders, will be invited to participate in an individual in-depth interview. Students scoring above cut-off on the questionnaire measuring symptoms of eating disorders (EDE-q) will be invited to a separate diagnostic interview (EDE).

A group of students will also participate in a test-retest examination of the reliability of the questionnaire.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 1250

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Norway
  • Oslo, Norway, 0806
    • Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Students:

Students in 2nd grade at public and private elite sport high schools in Norway, and a corresponding number of reference students in 2nd grade at representative regular high schools (no sport specialization) in the counties Viken and Oslo in Norway.

Trainers and leaders:

All administrative responsible employees (principles/inspectors) at public and private elite sport high schools and regular high schools, in addition to trainers at elite sport high schools with more than 20 % employment status.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Over 16 years of age
• Students in 2nd grade elite sport high schools in Norway
• Students in 2nd grade at regular high schools (no specialization) in Viken and Oslo in Norway
• Trainers with more than 20 percent employment status at elite sport highs schools
• Leaders/principles at the attending elite sport- and regular high schools

Exclusion Criteria:

• Students under 16 years of age
• Trainers with less than 20 percent employment status
• Students/trainers not understanding written Norwegian language

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Case-Control
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

3

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Adolescent elite athletes; Adolescent boys and girls elite athletes over 16 years of age studying at elite sport high schools in Norway.
Adolescent controls; Adolescent boys and girls over 16 years of age studying at regular high schools in Norway.
Trainers and leaders; Trainers (with more than 20 percent employment status) at elite sport high schools, and leaders/principals at elite sport high schools and regular high schools.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sexual harassment	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer a self-reported questionnaire regarding prevalence of sexual harassment, awareness of reporting mechanisms and emergency plans, suggestions for how to prevent sexual harassment.	Baseline
Sexual harassment	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer a self-reported questionnaire regarding prevalence of sexual harassment, awareness of reporting mechanisms and emergency plans, suggestions for how to prevent sexual harassment.	1 year after baseline
Sexual harassment	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer a self-reported questionnaire regarding prevalence of sexual harassment, awareness of reporting mechanisms and emergency plans, suggestions for how to prevent sexual harassment.	Two weeks (test-retest)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Symptoms of eating disorders	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer the self-reported questionnaire "Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire-6". The questionnaire consists of 28 items measuring symptoms and severity of eating disorders.	Baseline
Symptoms of eating disorders	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer the self-reported questionnaire "Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire-6". The questionnaire consists of 28 items measuring symptoms and severity of eating disorders.	1 year after baseline
Symptoms of eating disorders	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer the self-reported questionnaire "Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire-6". The questionnaire consists of 28 items measuring symptoms and severity of eating disorders.	Two weeks (test-retest)
Health related quality of life	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer two questions from the self-reported questionnaire "The World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument" (WHOQOL-BREF). The items measure overall perception of quality of life and overall satisfaction with own health during the last two weeks on a 5-point Likert-scale ranging from very poor/very dissatisfied to very good/very satisfied.	Baseline
Health related quality of life	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer two questions from the self-reported questionnaire "The World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument" (WHOQOL-BREF). The items measure overall perception of quality of life and overall satisfaction with own health during the last two weeks on a 5-point Likert-scale ranging from very poor/very dissatisfied to very good/very satisfied.	1 year after baseline
Health related quality of life	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer two questions from the self-reported questionnaire "The World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument" (WHOQOL-BREF). The items measure overall perception of quality of life and overall satisfaction with own health during the last two weeks on a 5-point Likert-scale ranging from very poor/very dissatisfied to very good/very satisfied.	Two weeks (test-retest)
Resilience	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer the self-reported questionnaire "The Resilience Scale for Adolescents (READ)" measuring their ability to handle stress and negative life events. The participants are asked to indicate how much they agree or disagree to 28 items using a 5-point Likert scale.	Baseline
Resilience	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer the self-reported questionnaire "The Resilience Scale for Adolescents (READ)" measuring their ability to handle stress and negative life events. The participants are asked to indicate how much they agree or disagree to 28 items using a 5-point Likert scale.	1 year after baseline
Resilience	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer the self-reported questionnaire "The Resilience Scale for Adolescents (READ)" measuring their ability to handle stress and negative life events. The participants are asked to indicate how much they agree or disagree to 28 items using a 5-point Likert scale.	Two weeks (test-retest)
Self-esteem	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer the self-reported questionnaire "Rosenberg self-esteem scale" (RSES) consisting of 10 items measuring global self-esteem related to overall feelings of self-worth and self-acceptance. The participants are asked to indicate how much they agree or disagree to the items using a 4-point Likert scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree.	Baseline
Self-esteem	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer the self-reported questionnaire "Rosenberg self-esteem scale" (RSES) consisting of 10 items measuring global self-esteem related to overall feelings of self-worth and self-acceptance. The participants are asked to indicate how much they agree or disagree to the items using a 4-point Likert scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree.	1 year after baseline
Self-esteem	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer the self-reported questionnaire "Rosenberg self-esteem scale" (RSES) consisting of 10 items measuring global self-esteem related to overall feelings of self-worth and self-acceptance. The participants are asked to indicate how much they agree or disagree to the items using a 4-point Likert scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree.	Two weeks (test-retest)
Subjective health complaints	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer the self-reported questionnaire "Health Behavior in School Children" measuring how often they have experienced 8 different physical and psychological health complaints (on a five-point scale ranging from almost every day to seldom/never) during the last 6 months.	Baseline
Subjective health complaints	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer the self-reported questionnaire "Health Behavior in School Children" measuring how often they have experienced 8 different physical and psychological health complaints (on a five-point scale ranging from almost every day to seldom/never) during the last 6 months.	1 year after baseline
Subjective health complaints	Adolescent elite athletes and controls will answer the self-reported questionnaire "Health Behavior in School Children" measuring how often they have experienced 8 different physical and psychological health complaints (on a five-point scale ranging from almost every day to seldom/never) during the last 6 months.	Two weeks (test-retest)
Sexual harassment experiences from trainers	Trainers and leaders will answer a questionnaire regarding their experiences with incidents of sexual harassment, awareness of reporting mechanisms and emergency plans, suggestions for how to prevent sexual harassment.	Baseline
Sexual harassment interview	In-depth interviews with students, trainers and leaders about their experiences with sexual harassment, awareness of reporting mechanisms and suggestions for how to prevent sexual harassment in the future.	Baseline
Eating disorder examination (EDE) interview	Students scoring above cut-off on the questionnaire EDE-q at the 1-year follow up questionnaire will be invited to a diagnostic interview (EDE) measuring eating disorder psychopathology/diagnosis.	Following the 1 year-follow up questionnaire

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
• Collaborators: University of Toronto; University of Agder; UiT The Arctic University of Norway; The Norwegian Women´s Public Health Association; Norwegian Extra Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation
• Investigators: Study Chair: Jorunn Sundgot-Borgen, PhD, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 1, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 12, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): October 12, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 27, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 27, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): July 1, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 3, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 2, 2021
• Last Verified: November 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 2019/FO244849

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: Undecided

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No