OBJECTIVE: To determine the gender-specific impact of recent exposure to different forms of sexual harassment and sexual violence (SHV) on depression and anxiety symptoms three, six, and nine months later.
METHODS: We recruited 2229 women and 1274 men studying at Swedish universities and followed them with web-surveys every three months over one year. We estimated mean differences (MDs) of depression and anxiety symptoms between exposed and unexposed at each follow-up, adjusting for prior SHV, prior depression and anxiety symptoms and potential confounders.
RESULTS: For women, sexual harassment (wide subjective definition) was associated with higher symptom levels of depression (MD 1.0 [95% CI: 0.3; 1.7]) and anxiety (MD 0.8 [95% CI: 0.3; 1.4]) three months later. Unwanted sexual attention was associated with higher symptom levels of anxiety three (MD 0.5 [95% CI: 0.1; 0.8]) and six months later (MD 0.4 [95% CI: 0.0; 0.7]). Exposure to sex against ones will was associated with higher depression symptoms three (MD 1.7 [95% CI: 0.1;3.4]), and six months later (MD 3.1 [95% CI: 1.0; 5.2]). Trends indicated that associations with subsequent mental health differed between forms of SHV among women, and that most associations were more pronounced in temporal proximity to the exposures. For men, we refrain from interpreting the results since they showed high variability and were not robust to sensitivity analyses using multiple imputation to account for missing outcome data.
CONCLUSIONS: Among women, several forms of SHV were associated with higher subsequent depression and anxiety symptoms.

UNASSIGNED: Sexual harassment is a significant problem in workplaces all over the world. Women\'s reactions to sexual harassment are influenced by various factors. The aim of the current study was to investigate how women respond sexual harassment in the retail clothing industry.
UNASSIGNED: In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with 16 women aged 23-44 years (mean 29.18 years) employed for at least 3 years in clothes shops in Shiraz, Iran. A grounded theory approach was used to analysis the data and raise hypotheses.
UNASSIGNED: The main perpetrators of sexual harassment for female saleswomen were male customers. The women experienced conflict-induced stimulation (core phenomenon) when they were faced with sexual harassing behaviors (causal conditions). Such stimulation prompted three types of coping strategies: silence, avoidance, or confrontation. Intervening factors like the characteristics of the Iranian society (including family mores, state-imposed hijab regulations, patriarchal culture, educational system, and regulatory monitoring) and contextual factors (including individual and environmental factors and particularly employer expectations) were found to influence the selection of strategies used as well as their potential consequences in challenging situations.
UNASSIGNED: The current study used a grounded theory approach to produce an explanatory storyline that can be tested. Sexual harassment induces conflict-induced stimulation and responses are influenced by intervening conditions, contextual factors, selected strategies, and the perceived consequences of the response. The findings of the grounded theory study suggest that there are negative consequences, particularly in terms of lack of employer support and losing one\'s job, shame, and family disapproval which act as barriers for female saleswomen to counteracting sexual harassment from male customers. Such an understanding can also be applied to develop educational policies to support women as well as ameliorate the prevalence of this essentially illegal problem.

OBJECTIVE: Exposure to work-related sexual harassment may increase the risk for certain adverse behavioural and emotional outcomes but less is known about its association with somatic diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes. This study investigated the prospective association of work-related sexual harassment and risk of cardiometabolic diseases.
RESULTS: This cohort study included 88 904 Swedish men and women in paid work who responded to questions on workplace sexual harassment in the Swedish Work Environment Survey (1995-2015) and were free from cardiometabolic diseases at baseline. Cardiometabolic diseases (CVD and type 2 diabetes) were identified from the National Patient Register and Causes of Death Register through linkage. Cox proportional hazard regression was used, adjusting for socio-demographic, work-related psychosocial, and physical exposure at baseline. Overall, 4.8% of the participants (n = 4300) reported exposure to workplace sexual harassment during the previous 12 months. After adjustment for sex, birth country, family situation, education, income, and work-related factors, workplace sexual harassment was associated with increased incidence of CVD [hazard ratio (HR) 1.25, 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.51] and type 2 diabetes (1.45, 1.21-1.73). The HR for CVD (1.57, 1.15-2.15) and type 2 diabetes (1.85, 1.39-2.46) was increased for sexual harassment from superior or fellow workers, and sexual harassment from others was associated with type 2 diabetes (1.39, 1.13-1.70). The HR for both CVD (1.31, 0.95-1.81) and type 2 diabetes (1.72, 1.30-2.28) was increased for frequent exposure.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the hypothesis that workplace sexual harassment is prospectively associated with cardiometabolic diseases. Future research is warranted to understand causality and mechanisms behind these associations.
We investigated if workers in Sweden who had experienced sexual harassment at work had a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes than workers who had not experienced sexual harassment at work. The experience of workplace sexual harassment was associated with an increased risk of both cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The risk was highest among those workers who had frequently experienced sexual harassment. Our results suggest that preventive measures directed towards elimination of sexual harassment may contribute to a reduction in cardiovascular disease and diabetes in the population.

OBJECTIVE: Previous literature has consistently documented harassment and discrimination in surgery. These experiences may contribute to the continuing gender inequity in surgical fields. The objective of our study was to survey Canadian surgeons and surgical trainees to gain a greater understanding of the experience of harassment across genders, career stage, and specialty.
METHODS: A cross-sectional, online survey was distributed to Canadian residents, fellows, and practicing surgeons in general surgery, plastic surgery, and neurosurgery through their national society email lists and via social media posts.
RESULTS: There were 194 included survey respondents (60 residents, 11 fellows, and 123 staff) from general surgery (44.8%), plastic surgery (42.7%), and neurosurgery (12.5%). 59.8% of women reported having experienced harassment compared to only 26.0% of men. Women were significantly more likely to be harassed by colleagues and patients/families compared to men. Residents (62.5%) were two times more likely to report being harassed compared to fellows/staff (38.3%). Residents were significantly more likely to be harassed by patients/families while fellows/staff were more likely to be harassed by colleagues. There were no significant differences in self-reported harassment across the three surgical specialties. There was no significant difference in rates of reported harassment between current residents (62.5%), and fellow/staff recollections of their experiences of harassment during residency (59.2%).
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of gender-based discrimination remains high and harassment prevalence remains largely unchanged from when current staff were in residency. Our findings highlight a need to implement systemic changes to support the increasing number of women entering surgery, and to improve surgical culture to continue to attract the best and brightest to the field.

BACKGROUND: Social media are immensely popular among adolescents. Thus, concerns have been raised about the threats adolescents encounter on social media and the possible negative health consequences, such as depressive symptoms and anxiety. This study investigated the prevalence of nine social media threats: (1) cyberbullying, (2) sexual harassment, (3) racism, (4) unauthorized distribution of sensitive material, (5) phishing attempts, (6) misinformation, (7) the sale or distribution of drugs, (8) harmful or dangerous social media challenges, (9) content causing appearance pressures. The study also investigated how individual and social factors, problematic social media use (PSMU), and online communication with strangers are associated with social media threat exposure, as well as the association between social media threats and self-rated health, depressive feelings, and anxiety symptoms.
RESULTS: Nationally representative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) data from Finland were obtained from 2288 respondents aged 11, 13, and 15 years. Fixed effects regression models were applied. The most common threat, encountered daily and weekly, was misinformation. Regression models showed that individual and social factors, PSMU, and online communication with strangers explained adolescent exposure to social media threats in differing ways. Furthermore, certain factors (e.g., emotional intelligence, family support) were associated with encountering social media threats less frequently, whereas other factors (e.g., PSMU, online communication with strangers) were associated with more frequent encounters. Daily and weekly exposure to social media threats was systematically associated with poor self-rated health, frequent depressive feelings, and anxiety symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the need for intervention and health promotion efforts to mitigate adolescent exposure to social media threats and ensuing negative health consequences.

The problem of gender discrimination and sexual harassment in medicine is long-standing and widespread. This project aims to document and understand how gendered experiences encountered by final-year medical students in Switzerland are experienced by these individuals and how they influence their career choice. It also aims to identify representations and stereotypes linked to the different specialties. The project will take place at all Swiss universities offering a master\'s degree in human medicine, for a total of 9 programs. Around 36 participants will be recruited. Semi-structured qualitative individual interviews will be conducted. Analysis will be based on Grounded Theory principles.

UNASSIGNED: Workplace sexual harassment towards nurses is a global phenomenon: approximately one quarter of all nurses are affected by sexual harassment. The extent and type of sexual harassment vary greatly depending on the country, culture, level of education, and care setting. Notably, patients are amongst the main perpetrators. Importantly, sexual harassment has serious consequences on nurses\' health and work performance.
UNASSIGNED: This study examined the prevalence of patients\' workplace sexual harassment towards nurses and nursing students at a University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland.
UNASSIGNED: A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive correlational design was used.
UNASSIGNED: The survey was conducted at the university\'s Institute of Nursing under the Department of Health.
UNASSIGNED: Nurses and nursing students who were studying or attending a continuing education programme and had worked as a nurse with direct contact with patients in the last 12 months could qualify as participants. A final sample of 251 participants was used for the analysis.
UNASSIGNED: Data were collected using the \'Sexually Harassing Behaviour Questionnaire from an extraorganizational perspective\'. Preliminary analysis involved computing the percentage and absolute frequencies, mean scores, standard deviations, and ranges. The hypotheses were tested using non-parametric tests, such as the Wilcoxon test for two independent samples, Spearman correlation test, and Kruskal-Wallis H test. Results were considered statistically significant at alpha < 0.05.
UNASSIGNED: Most participating nurses were women (88.5%) and worked in adult acute care (54.2%). The mean age was 25.5 (SD = 7.5) years. On average, they had worked in the nursing profession for 7 years. 17.1% of the participants had received training on sexual harassment. Overall, 95.6% of the participants reported experiencing sexual harassment of any type at least once in the last 12 months. The most common type of harassment was verbal sexual harassment. Notably, sexual harassment was statistically significantly more frequent the younger the nurses were [rs = -0.13, p = 0.046]. Furthermore, it was statistically significantly more prevalent in adult acute care than in paediatrics [H (10) = 18.4; p = 0.048; Cohen\'s d = 0.4].
UNASSIGNED: Patients\' sexual harassment of participant nurses and nursing students is highly common. The high prevalence of sexual harassment and low number of nurses who have received training on sexual harassment demonstrate the need for initiatives to address this phenomenon in the basic education of nurses. Furthermore, evidence-based interventions against sexual harassment in the nursing profession are needed.

UNASSIGNED: Sexual harassment is common and may have serious consequences for well-being and health. We investigated the prevalence of sexual harassment in the general population of Stockholm County across socio-demographic groups and sexual identity, and its association with self-reported health.
UNASSIGNED: Experiences of sexual harassment in the previous 12 months and its associations with self-reported health (depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation) were assessed in 2021/2022 among a random sample of 22,890 residents in Stockholm County aged 16 and older. Analyses were done using descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression (odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI)). Calibration weights were used to estimate population-representative rates with 95% CI.
UNASSIGNED: The highest weighted prevalence was observed among 16- to 24-year-olds (18.9%, 95% CI 16.9%-20.9%). Women (9.5%; 95% CI 8.8%-10.1%) reported a higher prevalence than men (2.9%; 95% CI 2.5%-3.3%). Compared to heterosexual people, bisexual and homosexual people reported a higher prevalence of sexual harassment. No significant difference was observed related to country of birth. People who were students, unemployed or on sick leave were more exposed than employed people, although this was not significant when adjusted for age and registered sex. Experiences of sexual harassment was associated with higher odds of all aspects of self-reported health.
UNASSIGNED: Experiences of sexual harassment in the general population are common and associated with adverse self-reported health. There is a need for enhanced efforts to prevent sexual harassment in the general population and to empower specific risk groups such as women and sexual minorities.

BACKGROUND: Discrimination and sexual harassment are prevalent in higher education institutions and can affect students, faculty members and employees. Herein the aim was to assess the extent of discriminatory experiences and sexual harassment of students and lecturers at one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe. We analyze whether there are differences between lecturers and students, different study programs as well as sex/gender differences.
METHODS: In an interdisciplinary, iterative process, a semi-standardized questionnaire was developed and sent to N = 7095 students (S) of all study programs and N = 2528 lecturers (L) at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. The study was conducted from November 2018 to February 2019. Besides a broad range of questions on sociodemographic background allowing for diversity sensitive data analysis, they were asked if they had witnessed and/or experienced any form of discrimination or sexual harassment at the medical faculty, if yes, how often, the perceived reasons, situational factors and perpetrators.
RESULTS: The response rate was 14% (n = 964) for students and 11% (n = 275) for lecturers. A proportion of 49.6% of students (L: 31%) reported that they have witnessed and/or experienced discriminatory behavior. Sexual harassment was witnessed and/or experienced by 23.6% of students (L: 19.2%). Lecturers (85.9%) were identified as the main source of discriminatory behavior by students. Directors/supervisors (47.4%) were stated as the main source of discriminatory behavior by lecturers. As the most frequent perceived reason for discriminatory experiences sex/gender (S: 71%; L: 60.3%) was reported. Women and dental students experienced more discriminatory behavior and sexual harassment.
CONCLUSIONS: Discriminatory behavior is experienced by a significant number of students and lecturers, with power structures having a relevant impact. Dental students and women appear to be particularly exposed. Specific institutional measures, such as training programs for lecturers and students are necessary to raise awareness and provide resources. Furthermore, national preventive strategies should be thoroughly implemented to fight discrimination and harassment at the workplace.

UNASSIGNED: To explore how employees understand work-related sexual harassment and label their experience.
UNASSIGNED: This study is based on 13 semi-structured in-depth interviews with employees exposed to workplace sexual harassment. We analysed the data using a thematic approach drawing on frameworks of sensemaking in organizations.
UNASSIGNED: We identified four major themes. The first two themes, distinguishing between sexual harassment and unwanted sexual attention and labelling real life sexual harassment, outline the interviewees\' definitions of the two terms \"sexual harassment\" and \"unwanted sexual harassment\" and reveal the challenges of labelling sexually harassing behaviours at work. The last two themes; making the connection and negotiating boundaries and labels, explain the sensemaking process, i.e., how the interviewees come to understand and label their experience.
UNASSIGNED: The analysis showed that the interviewees related sexual harassment with physical, coercive, and intentional behaviours, whereas unwanted sexual attention was seen as less severe and less intentional. The interviewees often doubted how to label their experience, and making sense of one´s experience could take years. Self-labelling is inherently a social process, and the validation and rejection of others play an important role. Finally, the #MeToo movement constituted a turning point for several interviewees\' understandings of events.