Women Firefighters and Workplace Harassment

Hom, Melanie A.; Stanley, Ian H.; Spencer‐Thomas, Sally; Joiner, Thomas E.

doi:10.1097/nmd.0000000000000759

Cited by 33 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The present study expands these findings by broadening the scope of psychological stressors beyond trauma to that which are broadly inherent in the occupation (i.e., SOOS-14 items). Moreover, while past research has found that individual stressors such as harassment (Hom et al, 2017), sleep disturbances (Carey et al, 2011; Hom et al, 2016), and social disconnectedness (Chu et al, 2016) are associated with suicide-related symptoms among firefighter samples, this study extends these results using a more comprehensive index of occupational stress (Kimbrel et al, 2011), including those not previously explored in relation to suicidality among this population. Although SOOS-14 occupational stress scores were higher in the current study than in a previous firefighter sample (VanderVeen et al, 2012), it is worth noting that the previous sample comprised firefighter cadets.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Occupational stress and suicidality among firefighters: Examining the buffering role of distress tolerance

Stanley

Boffa

Smith

et al. 2018

Psychiatry Research

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Past research indicates that firefighters are at increased risk for suicide. Firefighter-specific occupational stress may contribute to elevated suicidality. Among a large sample of firefighters, this study examined if occupational stress is associated with multiple indicators of suicide risk, and whether distress tolerance, the perceived and/or actual ability to endure negative emotional or physical states, attenuates these associations. A total of 831 firefighters participated (mean [SD] age = 38.37y[8.53y]; 94.5% male; 75.2% White). The Sources of Occupational Stress-14 (SOOS-14), Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), and Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R) were utilized to examine firefighter-specific occupational stress, distress tolerance, and suicidality, respectively. Consistent with predictions, occupational stress interacted with distress tolerance, such that the effects of occupational stress on suicide risk, broadly, as well as lifetime suicide threats and current suicidal intent, specifically, were attenuated at high levels of distress tolerance. Distress tolerance may buffer the effects of occupational stress on suicidality among firefighters. Pending replication, findings suggest that distress tolerance may be a viable target for suicide prevention initiatives within the fire service.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Occupational stress and suicidality among firefighters: Examining the buffering role of distress tolerance

Stanley

Boffa

Smith

et al. 2018

Psychiatry Research

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“…This study fills a critically important gap in the scientific literature as there have only been a few numbers of studies with small-medium sized samples documenting the experiences of discrimination and harassment faced by women firefighters [13–19, 22]. In addition, there are only three quantitative survey studies that examined how experiences with sexual harassment or general harassment affected a limited number of health outcomes (e.g., job stress appraisals, reported use of sick days, suicidality, and psychopathology) [20–22]. This study aims to move the field forward by considering diverse forms of mistreatment in firefighters, the relationships between them, and stress-related processes and their outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Prevalence and Health Impacts of Frequent Work Discrimination and Harassment among Women Firefighters in the US Fire Service

Jahnke

Haddock

Jitnarin

et al. 2019

BioMed Research International

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Intro. Both discrimination and harassment directly impact mental and physical health. Further, workplace discrimination degrades workplace culture and negatively impacts health behaviors, job-related outcomes, and family dynamics. Women represent a small proportion of the fire service and are often the targets of discrimination/harassment, yet little research documents the impact of such experiences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between chronic work discrimination and/or harassment and women firefighters’ (FFs) physical and mental health, substance abuse, and job efficacy, stress, and satisfaction. Methods. Snowball sampling was used to solicit participation from women career FFs. Participants completed an online survey regarding physical and mental health, health behavior, job efficacy/stress/satisfaction, and family well-being. Logistic regression examined the impact of work discrimination-harassment severity on dichotomous variables. Results. 1,773 had complete data on their experiences with work-related discrimination and harassment. Women reported experiencing verbal (37.5%) and written (12.9%) harassment, hazing (16.9%), sexual advances (37.4%), and assaults (5.1%) in the fire service. FFs in the highest tertile of work discrimination-harassment severity reported over 40% more poor health days in the last 30 days (OR=1.42; 95%CI=1.33-1.51; p<0.001). Women who experienced moderate and severe discrimination/harassment had negative mental health outcomes including higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. Those who experienced high rates of discrimination and/or harassment also were more likely to report issues with alcohol consumption. Conclusion. The impact of discrimination and harassment, related negative physical and mental outcomes, low levels of job satisfaction, and negative impact of these experiences on family/home stress likely take a significant toll on women in the fire service. Findings confirm and extend previous work suggesting there is a need to improve the mental and physical health of women FFs. Future work should examine the prospective relationship between discrimination/harassment and poor health outcomes and potential policies/practices to reduce these negative behaviors.

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“…Previous research has shown that 37–72% of nursing staff have suffered sexual harassment in the medical field. Compared with other professions, for example, female firefighters and female workers in the industrial sector report that they have suffered sexual harassment in the workplace at 21.7% and 12% respectively [ 19 , 20 ], the prevalence of workplace sexual harassment among nursing staff is obviously higher. This may be because nursing involves working physically and emotionally close to patients, doctors, medical attendants, informal caregivers, paramedical staff, and administrative members [ 9 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Harassment Experiences, Knowledge, and Coping Behaviors of Nursing Students in Taiwan During Clinical Practicum

Chang

Tzeng

Teng

2020

IJERPH

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Sexual harassment not only endangers nursing students’ physical and mental health but also considerably affects their future willingness to engage in the field of nursing. To identify experiences, knowledge, coping behaviors, and determinants of sexual harassment among nursing students during clinical practicum, this study conducted a cross-sectional survey where a structured self-report questionnaire was used. A total of 291 senior nursing students were recruited from four universities in Central Taiwan. Sixty-six nursing students (22.7%), including 59 women (23.3%) and 7 men (18.4%), reported experiencing sexual harassment during clinical practicum. Male students scored significantly higher than female students did on knowledge of sexual harassment (p = 0.028). Female students scored significantly higher than male students did on attitudes toward preventing and coping with sexual harassment (p = 0.05). Nursing students who were older, had fathers who had higher education levels, or had undergone gender-related courses were more likely to experience sexual harassment. More than one-fifth of nursing students experienced sexual harassment during their clinical practicum, making this a formidable challenge in nursing education. Education is required to prevent sexual harassment and enhance gender sensitivity among nursing students, who are at a greater risk of experiencing sexual harassment in clinical practicum.

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Women Firefighters and Workplace Harassment

Cited by 33 publications

References 34 publications

Occupational stress and suicidality among firefighters: Examining the buffering role of distress tolerance

Occupational stress and suicidality among firefighters: Examining the buffering role of distress tolerance

The Prevalence and Health Impacts of Frequent Work Discrimination and Harassment among Women Firefighters in the US Fire Service

Sexual Harassment Experiences, Knowledge, and Coping Behaviors of Nursing Students in Taiwan During Clinical Practicum

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