The Impact of Sexual Harassment on Depressive Symptoms during the Early Occupational Career

Abstract

Sexual harassment has been theorized as a stressor with consequences for the physical and mental health of its targets. Though social scientists have documented a negative association between sexual harassment and mental health, few longitudinal studies have investigated the association between sexual harassment and depressive symptoms. Using longitudinal survey data from the Youth Development Study, combined with in-depth interviews, this article draws on Louise Fitzgerald’s theoretical framework, stress theory, and the life course perspective to assess the impact of sexual harassment on depressive affect during the early occupational career. In support of Fitzgerald’s model, our findings confirm that sexual harassment is a stressor that is associated with increased depressive symptoms. Our quantitative results show that women and men who experience more frequent sexual harassment at work have significantly higher levels of depressed mood than non-harassed workers, even after controlling for prior harassment and depressive symptoms. Moreover, we find evidence that sexual harassment early in the career has long-term effects on depressive symptoms in adulthood. Interviews with a subset of our survey respondents point to a variety of coping strategies and reveal further links between harassment and other aspects of mental health, such as anger and self-doubt.

Breaking the Silence: Sexual Harassment of Mexican Women Farmworkers

“…The negative impacts of WSH on personal and family health were also consistent with prior literature. 5,15,22,30 Women farmworkers in our study already perceived their health to be below the average US Hispanic rating of “good,” were concerned WSH affected their families, and attributed feelings of disrespect, depression, and fear towards harassment. 6,9,31,32 They also reported the lack of health insurance, language skills, and knowledge of the health care system as additional barriers to good health.…”

Cyber sexual harassment: a cross-sectional survey over female university students in Upper Egypt

“…Alike, previous studies showed that the harassed girls experienced conflict feelings that included anger, disappointment and even depression. 9,[28][29][30] This study had some limitations. First, only university female students, known to have higher social level than their counterparts, were included.…”

“…It can also undermine career and restrict regular activities. 8,9 Considering the fact that the digital society in Egypt includes 29.84 million users, 52% of them are younger than 24 years, 98% of them have Facebook accounts, 49% have Twitter accounts and a third of them use Instagram, 10,11 and since sexual harassment is considered a nationwide problem of public health concern, the objective of our study is to detect the frequency of exposure to online sexual harassment among Beni-Suef University female students during the past 6 months, and explore the possible associating factors.…”

The Economic and Career Effects of Sexual Harassment on Working Women

“…Houle and colleagues (2011), for example, point to the longevity of these effects, as targets of harassment continue to report depressive symptoms nearly a decade later. The same study links sexual harassment to other aspects of mental health, including anger and self-doubt, which likely influence targets’ future employment experiences.…”