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Chronic fatigue syndrome is a common chronic health condition, especially for women, occurring across ethnic groups. Earlier findings suggesting that CFS is a syndrome primarily affecting white, middle-class patients were not supported by our findings.

OBJECTIVES: This study hypothesized that interpersonal workplace stressors involving sexual harassment and generalized workplace abuse are highly prevalent and significantly linked with mental health outcomes including symptomatic distress, the use and abuse of alcohol, and other drug use. METHODS: Employees in 4 university occupational groups (faculty, student, clerical, and service workers; n = 2492) were surveyed by means of a mailed self-report instrument. Cross-tabular and ordinary least squares and logistic regression analyses examined the prevalence of harassment and abuse and their association with mental health status. RESULTS: The data show high rates of harassment and abuse. Among faculty, females were subjected to higher rates; among clerical and service workers, males were subjected to higher rates. Male and female clerical and service workers experienced higher levels of particularly severe mistreatment. Generalized abuse was more prevalent than harassment for all groups. Both harassment and abuse were significantly linked to most mental health outcomes for men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Interpersonally abusive workplace dynamics constitute a significant public health problem that merits increased intervention and prevention strategies.

This study describes past-year prevalence and effects on mental health and drinking outcomes for harassment and discrimination in the workplace (HDW) in a nationally-representative randomdigit dial phone survey conducted in 2003-2004 (n=2,151). HDW measures included experiences and perceptions of sexual harassment and generalized workplace harassment, and perceived harassment or discrimination due to race/ethnicity. Prevalence was examined by sex, race, age, occupation, marital status, and education. Effects of HDW were assessed controlling for demographics and job and life stressors. Experiencing multiple types of HDW was common. Sexual harassment was more prevalent among women, and Blacks and those of other or mixed race/ethnicity experienced the highest levels of HDW overall. HDW variables explained additional variance in problem drinking and mental health beyond life and job stressors, particularly for women. This study demonstrates that HDW is a prevalent problem associated with poor mental health and problem drinking in the U.S. workforce. Keywordsworkplace harassment; discrimination; stress; drinking behavior; mental health Harassment and discrimination in the workplace (HDW) takes many forms, and can occur for a variety of reasons such as one's sex, race/ethnicity, or age. HDW may also occur for reasons not obviously based on one's social status characteristics, as in the case of generalized workplace harassment or workplace bullying 1 . A major limitation of existing research involves the lack of direct comparison of the prevalence, demographic correlates, and outcomes of different types of HDW. Such knowledge is essential in order to accurately understand the scope of the problem, further develop harassment theory, and to better translate research findings into development of appropriately targeted interventions. Utilizing a stress framework, we address the conceptualization and measurement of various forms of HDW, examine their comparative prevalence under different measurement strategies, and address mental health and alcohol use outcomes of HDW using data from the first national sample to examine multiple types of HDW.Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to: Kathleen M. Rospenda, University of Illinois at Chicago, Psychiatric Institute (M/C 912), Room 481, 1601 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612, or phone (312) 413-4528. krospenda@psych.uic.edu. Kathleen M. Rospenda, Judith A. Richman, and Candice A. Shannon, Department of Psychiatry.Preliminary data related to this paper were presented at the conference, "Work, Stress, and Health 2006: Making a difference in the workplace," Miami, Florida, March, 2006. 1 While generalized workplace harassment and bullying are closely related constructs, they differ in operationalization, with the term "bullying" applied specifically to experiences occurring on a regular basis and with a duration of six months or longer. See the volume edited by Einarsen and colleagues (Einarsen, Hoel, Zapf, & Cooper, 2003) for perspectives on definiti...

The data provide further support for the assumption that a high proportion of medical students not only experience the training process as abusive in nature but also suffer measurable psychopathological consequences. Efforts should be made to reform medical education, with a prominent focus on gender role-related issues.

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SH and GWA may be better predictors of drinking behavior compared to task-related stressors, particularly when harassment is chronic. Increased attention to conflictual relationships in the work-place, the relationship between SH and GWA and the dynamic nature of stressors in general is necessary in future research on drinking behavior.

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