Sexual Harassment of Nurses in the Workplace

Abstract

Nurses who are sexually harassed at work face frustration and emotional and economic consequences. Historically before the 1970s, nurses had little legal recourse and tolerated sexual harassment as a necessary "evil" associated with working. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 created the option for legal remedies for sexual harassment/discrimination cases. Successful court cases established the legal criteria for sexual harassment. This article discusses the history, definition, high profile cases, research, consequences, and prevention of sexual harassment. Although research is scant and little is known of how nurses respond to harassing behavior, prevention requires coordinated activities of employers, individual employees, and the healthcare profession. Sexual harassment at work increases anxiety and undermines the nurse's ability to focus on the delivery of safe and competent care.

Prevalence of Workplace Abuse and Sexual Harassment among Female Faculty and Staff

“…These findings are in agreement with previous research that indicated a higher prevalence of symptoms of depression amongst faculty members 3,4,6,12) . Research that relates experiences of abuse and harassment to depression and other mental health effects, though available, is limited.…”

“…In order to combat these pervasive problems, a comprehensive and multi-sectorial approach that combines institutional justice initiatives, reformed health policies and preventative educational programs are needed 26) . Furthermore, developing written guidelines, policies, and education programs designed to set standards for acceptable behaviors in educational settings have proven to be effective in changing norms 12) . It is important to note that changing the attitudes and norms that are entrenched in a society require sustained commitment and effort from all sectors 12,26) .…”

“…Furthermore, developing written guidelines, policies, and education programs designed to set standards for acceptable behaviors in educational settings have proven to be effective in changing norms 12) . It is important to note that changing the attitudes and norms that are entrenched in a society require sustained commitment and effort from all sectors 12,26) .…”

“…Furthermore most studies that evaluated workplace abuse and sexual harassment have primarily been focused in North American and European population. Few studies have examined the prevalence of sexual harassment and workplace abuse in developing nations [10][11][12] . To address these gaps in knowledge, this study was conducted among female faculty and staff in Awassa, Ethiopia, for the purpose of assessing the one-year prevalence of workplace abuse and sexual harassment.…”

Workplace Sexual Harassment in Two General Hospitals in Taiwan: The Incidence, Perception, and Gender Differences

“…These values were lower than most reports in previous international studies, whereas the previous studies investigated the annual or lifetime prevalence. For the studies focused on nurses, some of them reported that physicians or other coworkers were identified as the primary perpetrators of SH 7,18,29) . Other literature demonstrated that the most common perpetrators in all types of SH were patients, followed by doctors or other staff 12,25) .…”