Campus-based sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) are prevalent issues that impact students detrimentally. Guided by community-based participatory research, this qualitative study assessed ...undergraduate students’ perceptions of available campus SVSH resources, gaps in services, and recommendations for solutions for SVSH at three universities in California via interviews and focus groups. Approximately half of participants were unaware of available SVSH services, while others had varying knowledge of service availability and experiences with services. Students want better-funded, trauma-informed, and survivor-centered services and providers who share their identities and lived experiences. We provide multi-level student-centered solutions to improve current campus-based SVSH prevention efforts.
Previous research has reported that sexual harassment can lead to reduced mental health. Few studies have focused on sexual harassment conducted by clients or customers, which might occur in ...person-related occupations such as eldercare work, social work or customer service work. This study examined the cross-sectional association between sexual harassment by clients or customers and depressive symptoms. We also examined if this association was different compared to sexual harassment conducted by a colleague, supervisor or subordinate. Further, we investigated if psychosocial workplace initiatives modified the association between sexual harassment by clients or customers and level of depressive symptoms.
We used data from the Work Environment and Health in Denmark cohort study (WEHD) and the Work Environment Activities in Danish Workplaces Study (WEADW) collected in 2012. WEHD is based on a random sample of employed individuals aged 18-64. In WEADW, organizational supervisors or employee representatives provided information on workplace characteristics. By combining WEHD and WEADW we included self-reported information on working conditions and health from 7603 employees and supervisors in 1041 organizations within 5 occupations. Data were analyzed using multilevel regression and analyses adjusted for gender, age, occupation and socioeconomic position.
Exposure to workplace sexual harassment from clients or customers was statistically significantly associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms (2.05; 95% CI: 0.98-3.12) compared to no exposure. Employees harassed by colleagues, supervisors or subordinates had a higher mean level of depressive symptoms (2.45; 95% CI: 0.57-4.34) than employees harassed by clients or customers. We observed no statistically significant interactions between harassment from clients and customers and any of the examined psychosocial workplace initiatives (all p > 0.05).
The association between sexual harassment and depressive symptoms differed for employees harassed by clients or customers and those harassed by colleagues, supervisors or subordinates. The results underline the importance of investigating sexual harassment from clients or customers and sexual harassment by colleagues, supervisors or subordinates as distinct types of harassment. We found no modification of the association between sexual harassment by clients or customers and depressive symptoms by any of the examined psychosocial workplace initiatives.
The present study aimed to expand the understanding of the correlates of sexual harassment myths, a set of beliefs that serve to justify male perpetrators. Data collected among Italian adults (
407; ...59.5% women) showed that individual levels of precarious manhood beliefs-according to which manhood is a social status that must be proven via public action-were related to greater sexual harassment myths acceptance in male and female respondents. Such associations were mediated by hostile sexism and benevolence toward men. Findings suggest that interventions to reduce tolerance of sexual harassment of women should target cultural views of manhood and counteract rigid models of masculinity and femininity.
Women SEMP practitioners were more likely to work with women athletes who are paid less, have lower public profiles and receive less media attention, than their men counterparts, which potentially ...impacts renumeration available for SEMP practitioners. Men acknowledged that their gender positively influenced their SEMP career, whereas women experienced negative effects of gender. Consistent with other workplaces, women working in elite sport in Australia experience significantly more workplace gender harassment than men, it is time for affirmative action to eliminate gender bias and harassment in the SEMP workplace.
In East Asian culture, where sex is a sensitive subject, many women still have a high recognition threshold when it comes to sexual harassment, as well as a high tolerance for it. Previous research ...has shown that feminist identity is effective in promoting women’s physical and mental health and buffering against the negative effects of sexual harassment, thus, it is important to clarify the role that feminist identity plays in the perception of sexual harassment. In this study, we examined whether feminist identity is related to the perception and tolerance of sexual harassment and whether feminist identity mediates the relations between sexism, gender roles, and sexual harassment perception and tolerance among Chinese working women. In a survey of 507 participants, we found that active commitment to feminism was positively correlated with women’s perception of sexual harassment, while passive acceptance of traditional gender roles was positively correlated with tolerance of sexual harassment. Mediation analysis showed that active commitment to feminism mediated the relations between sexism, gender roles, and sexual harassment perception, while passive acceptance of traditional gender roles mediated the relations between sexism and femininity with sexual harassment tolerance. We assert that feminist identity has the potential to enable women to be more perceptive and less tolerant of sexual harassment behaviors, and as such, feminist ideology should be incorporated into education for Chinese women.
Objective: The present study examined the independent and joint effects of bullying victimization and sexual harassment victimization on adolescent alcohol use over time within a community sample of ...adolescents. Method: Adolescents aged 13-15 years old at baseline (N = 800, Mage = 14.42, SD = 0.83; 57.5% female) recruited from Western New York State made five online survey reports of peer victimization and alcohol use over a 2-year period. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify trajectory classes of victimization from bullying and sexual harassment over time, and regression modeling was used to examine the associations with later alcohol use. Results: Three developmental courses were identified for bullying victimization (moderate/decreasing, high/decreasing, never or low) and for sexual harassment victimization (moderate/decreasing, moderate/increasing, never or low). Adolescents in the moderate/decreasing group of bullying victimization subsequently consumed more alcoholic drinks when they drank. Belonging to the moderate/increasing group of sexual harassment was associated with increased later alcohol intoxication and number of drinks. Bullying victimization and sexual harassment victimization were concurrently correlated over time. Adolescents who followed the joint trajectory group of moderately decreasing bullying and increasing sexual harassment were more likely to report increased later alcohol intoxication and number of drinks. Conclusions: Moderate levels of bullying victimization along with increasing sexual harassment victimization are associated prospectively with greater alcohol use in adolescence. Findings highlight the importance of considering the cumulative, joint effects of multiple types of peer victimization on adolescent health outcomes.
Public Health Significance Statement
Within the community sample of adolescents, almost 30% experienced both bullying victimization and sexual harassment victimization over a 12-month period. The high prevalence of both bullying and sexual harassment and their association with later alcohol use point to the need for more targeted interventions to provide support to polyvictims. The results also highlight the importance of recognizing the detrimental effects of peer sexual harassment on adolescent health and the need for prevention efforts.
Objective
To examine reported experiences of gender discrimination and harassment among US women.
Data Source and Study Design
Data come from a nationally representative, probability‐based telephone ...survey of 1596 women, conducted January‐April 2017.
Methods
We calculated the percentages of women reporting gender discrimination and harassment in several domains, including health care. We used logistic regression to examine variation in experiences among women by race/ethnicity and sexual orientation/gender identity.
Principal Findings
Sizable fractions of women experience discrimination and harassment, including discrimination in health care (18 percent), equal pay/promotions (41 percent), and higher education (20 percent). In adjusted models, Native American, black, and Latina women had higher odds than white women of reporting gender discrimination in several domains, including health care. Latinas’ odds of health care avoidance versus whites was (OR 95% CI) 3.69 (1.59, 8.58), while blacks’ odds of discrimination in health care visits versus whites was 2.00 1.06, 3.74. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) women had higher odds of reporting sexual harassment (2.16 1.06, 4.40) and violence (2.71 1.43, 5.16) against themselves or female family members than non‐LGBTQ women.
Conclusions
Results suggest that discrimination and harassment are widely experienced by women across multiple domains of their lives, particularly those who are a racial/ethnic minority or LGBTQ. Further policy and programmatic efforts beyond current legal protections for women are needed to meaningfully reduce these negative experiences, as they impact women's health care and their lives overall.
Objectives
The paper examines how strongly non-physical peer sexual harassment is associated with a wide range of well-being outcomes from symptoms of depression and anxiety to self-esteem and body ...image.
Methods
Two large community samples of high school students were analyzed (
n
= 1384 and
n
= 1485). Students responded to questionnaires on being subject to non-physical sexual harassment, sexual coercion and forced intercourse, and to well-being indicators ranging from anxiety, depression, self-esteem, body image.
Results
Regression analyses suggest that being harassed by peers in a non-physical way was moderately associated with lower levels of well-being over and above the effect of other risk factors. This effect was present for all indicators of well-being. The effect of peer harassment on depressive symptoms was moderated by sex (affected women more) but not by sexual or ethnic minority status.
Conclusions
The findings imply that although sticks and stones may break bones, it does seem that derogatory words and other forms of non-physical sexual harassment definitely harm high school students.
Due to methodological heterogeneity, the exact prevalence of military sexual trauma (MST) is unknown. To elucidate our understanding of the pervasiveness of this important social issue, a ...meta-analysis was conducted. A computerized database search in PsycINFO, PubMed, and PILOTS revealed 584 unique citations for review. Of these identified studies, 69 met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The results revealed that 15.7% of military personnel and veterans report MST (3.9% of men, 38.4% of women) when the measure includes both harassment and assault. Additionally, 13.9% report MST (1.9% of men, 23.6% of women) when the measure assesses only assault and 31.2% report MST (8.9% of men, 52.5% of women) when the measure assesses only harassment. Regardless of the type of victimization incident (i.e., harassment or assault), women evidenced significantly larger prevalence rates compared to men. Self-report measure and interviews were associated with higher prevalence rates than the review of veterans affair (VA) medical records when measuring both harassment and assault and only harassment. No significant differences were observed among prevalence rates based on VA, non-VA, or both VA and non-VA recruitment. Ultimately, the findings suggest that MST is a pervasive problem, among both men and women in the military, highlighting the importance of this line of research.