Sexual harassment : expansion of the Likelihood of sexually harassing questionnaire; and, The positive relationship between sexual harassment and sexual aggression

Abstract

The present study surveyed the sexually harassing behaviors of male university students (N = 40), community volunteers (N = 41), rapists (N = 15) and child molesters (N = 16).

Subjects rated various sexual activities including conventional sex, unconventional sex, forced sex and sex with a child. Child molesters reported the least interest in conventional and unconventional sexual activities compared to the other groups but showed the greatest interest in sex with a child.

Students did not attempt to present themselves in a socially desirable manner whereas child molesters presented themselves as unrealistically socially desirable.

The students, community volunteers, rapists and child molesters did not significantly differ on sexual harassment scores. Also, they did not significantly differ on forced sex. However, when subjects were classified as sexually aggressive or not sexually aggressive according to self-reports of engaging in forced sex in the past, the newly formed groups differed significantly on both sexual harassment scales and forced sex.

One of the more interesting results was that ratings of forced sex correlated with the exploitive version of the sexual harassment scales (i.e., LSH-REG) (r =.515; p<.0001). Additionally, whether or not the subjects reported having been a victim of a particular sexually harassing or sexually aggressive behavior in the past correlated significantly with whether or not they reported being the perpetrator of similar behavior (p<.0001).

A compelling result was the significant portion of rapists (30%) and child molesters (67%) who indicated that they had never forced sex. Likewise, significant numbers of students (16%) and community volunteers (23%) indicated that they had forced sex on someone in the past. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)