Incidence, Nature, and Consequences of Oncologists' Experiences With Sexual Harassment

Abstract

PURPOSE The incidence and impact of workplace sexual harassment (SH) of oncologists requires rigorous characterization. METHODS Oncologists identified by ASCO's Research Survey Pool and social media outreach completed validated measures of SH (encompassing gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention, and sexual coercion) and four outcomes (mental health, job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and sense of workplace safety) over the previous year. Multivariable regression models assess the impact of SH on the four outcomes. RESULTS Of 271 cisgender respondents (153 women and 118 men), 189 (70%) experienced SH in the past year alone by peers and/or superiors (80% of women v 56% of men, P < .0001). Specifically, 186 (69%) experienced gender harassment (79% of women, 55% of men, P < .0001), 45 (17%) unwanted sexual attention (22% of women, 9% of men, P = .005), and 7 (3%) sexual coercion (3% of women, 2% of men, P = .42). SH by patients and/or families in the past year was experienced by 143 (53% overall: 67% of women, 35% of men, P < .0001). Specifically, 141 (52%) experienced gender harassment (66% of women, 34% of men, P < .0001), 15 (6%) unwanted sexual attention (5% of women, 6% of men, P = .80), and 3 (1%) sexual coercion (1% of women, 1% of men, P = .72). Multivariable analysis showed that past-year SH by peers and/or superiors was significantly associated with decreased mental health (β = –0.45, P = .004), sense of workplace safety (β = –0.98, P < .001), and job satisfaction (β = –0.69, P = .001), along with increased turnover intentions (β = 0.93, P < .0001). Past-year SH by patients and/or families was significantly associated with decreased mental health (β = –0.41, P = .002), sense of workplace safety (β = –0.42, P = .014), and increased turnover intentions (β = 0.58, P = .0004). There were no significant interactions between the respondents' gender and the SH scores in any of the four outcome models, signifying no difference in impact between men and women oncologists. CONCLUSION This study using validated measures of SH to systematically characterize oncologists' workplace experience demonstrates substantial incidence of SH in the previous one year alone and its impact on men and women oncologists, informing the need for and design of effective protective and preventive measures.

Social Media and the Quest for Equity and Diversity in Oncology: On Safe Spaces and the Concept of the Public Physician

“…6,14 Even more, sexual harassment continues to be a significant issue as noted recently in a cross-sectional survey within ASCO Research Survey Pool. 8 Among female respondents (n = 153), 80% reported sexual harassment by a peer or superior, which was significantly associated with decreased mental health, workplace safety, and heightened turnover intentions.…”

“…The experiences of Under-Represented Minority (URM) clinicians around social media, which occur across medical fields including oncology, do not take place in isolation. Instead, they occur in ongoing realities that remain challenging, such as the lack of representation within the ranks of oncology professionals, 6,7 real-world harassment in the workplace, 8 discrimination, and systemic barriers to professional advancement. 3 Despite this, it is our collective opinion that social media provides the means for URM oncologists to engage together to advocate for diversity, equity, and education (of each other and the general public) and provide support and access shared resources, all of which constitute the benefits that outweigh the potential risks for URM oncologists.…”

Frequency, barriers, outcomes, and consequences of reporting sexual harassment in clinical oncology

“…As previously described ( 3 ), after exemption approval by the University of Michigan institutional review board, 1000 clinical oncologists from the American Society of Clinical Oncology Research Survey Pool and other members contacted via social media were surveyed in 2020. Of 273 survey respondents (215 via Research Survey Pool, 58 from social media outreach), 271 were cisgender.…”

“…Self-reported race and ethnicity included 11% African American or Hispanic, 35% Asian or Pacific Islander, and 53% non-Hispanic White. Response rates varied by practice setting, with respondents less often in community settings (31%) or early career (<5 years since training 25%; currently in training 8%) than in the targeted population ( 3 ).…”

“…Respondents indicated whether they had experienced sexual harassment from colleagues or superiors or from patients or families, using a medicine-specific version of the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire, a behaviorally based validated instrument to assess sexual harassment, and scales measuring racialized sexual harassment, gender policing harassment, and heterosexist harassment ( 3-6 ). As previously described ( 3 ), 217 respondents indicated experiencing sexual harassment within the past year from peers and/or superiors (n = 189, 70%) or from patients or families (n = 143, 53%).…”