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Peer Sexual Harassment Scale—Child (PSH-C)

The Peer Sexual Harassment Scale—Child (PSH-C) is an 18 item measure to capture peer sexual harassment in late childhood (ages 10–12 years) in the school context. It measures victimization, perpetration, and witnessing of sexual harassment.

Categories

Geographies Tested: Sweden

Populations Included: Female, Male

Age Range: Adolescents, Children

Items:

Victimization
Has any student done any of these things to you, even though you did not want it?
1. Touched your private body parts (for example, penis, vulva, bottom, or breasts)? 2. Kissed or hugged you, or tried to?
3. Called you homo, fag, dyke, or the like?
4. Called you dick, cunt, slut, or the like?
5. Commented on or joked about private body parts (for example, penis, vulva, bottom, or breasts) or about sex?
6. Shown, sent, or given you pictures or messages related to nakedness or sex?

Perpetration
Have you done any of these things to another student, even though they did not want it?
1. Touched another student's private body parts (for example, penis, vulva, bottom, or breasts)?
2. Kissed or hugged another student, or tried to?
3. Called another student homo, gay, lesbian, or the like?
4. Called another student dick, cunt, slut, or the like?
5. Made comments or jokes about private body parts (for example, penis, vulva, bottom, or breasts) or sex?
6. Shown, sent, or given another student pictures or messages related to nakedness or sex?

Witnessing
Have you seen or heard that any of this has happened to any other student at the school, even though they did not want it?
1. A student touched another students' private body parts (for example, penis, vulva, bottom, or breasts)?
2. A student kissed or hugged another student, or tried to?
3. A student called another student homo, gay, lesbian or the like?
4. A student called another student dick, cunt, slut, or the like?
5. A student made comments or jokes about private body parts (for example, penis, vulva, bottom, or breasts) or sex?
6. A student showed, sent, or gave another student pictures or messages related to nakedness or sex?

*Response options:
Never - 1
Once - 2
A few times - 3
Several times - 4

Scoring Procedures

Items were averaged.

Original Citation

Valik, A., Holmqvist Gattario, K., Lunde, C., & Skoog, T. (2022). PSH‐C: A measure of peer sexual harassment among children. Journal of Social Issues, 79(4), 1123-1146. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12517


Psychometric Score

Ease of Use Score

Scoring breakdown

Formative Research

Qualitative Research

Existing Literature/Theoretical Framework

Field Expert Input

Cognitive Interviews / Pilot Testing

Reliability

Internal

Test-retest

Interrater

Validity

Content

Face

Criterion (gold-standard)

Construct

KEY

Ease of Use

Readability

Scoring Clarity

Length

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