The workplace culture, mental health and wellbeing of early- and mid-career health academics: a cross-sectional analysis.

There are reports of poor working conditions for early and mid-career academics (EMCAs) in universities, however, empirical data using validated tools are scarce. We conducted an online, cross-sectional survey using validated tools to assess workplace satisfaction, exposure to workplace abuse, and mental health. Participants included employees of medical and health faculties of two of the largest Australian universities, surveyed between October 2020 and January 2021.Overall, 284 participants responded. Many reported job insecurity: half (50.7%) working on contracts with less than one remaining year. Workloads were considerable, with 89.5% of participants working overtime and 54.8% reporting burnout. Workplace abuse in the forms of bullying (46.6%), sexual harassment (25.3%), sexism (49.8%) and racism (22.5%) were commonly reported. Clinically significant symptoms of depression (28.0%), anxiety (21.7%) and suicidal ideation or self-harm (13.6%) were reported; with a higher prevalence among those working more overtime, and those exposed to workplace abuse. Priorities include providing a stable and safe workplace, increasing accountability and transparency in addressing workplace abuse, and supporting professional development.In summary, EMCAs in our study were commonly exposed to precarious employment conditions and workplace abuse. Our findings provide empirical evidence on where universities and funding bodies should direct resources and change organisational risk factors, to improve workplace culture.

Perceptions of lecturers and students regarding discriminatory experiences and sexual harassment in academic medicine - results from a faculty-wide quantitative study.

BACKGROUND: Discrimination and sexual harassment are prevalent in higher education institutions and can affect students, faculty members and employees. Herein the aim was to assess the extent of discriminatory experiences and sexual harassment of students and lecturers at one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe. We analyze whether there are differences between lecturers and students, different study programs as well as sex/gender differences. METHODS: In an interdisciplinary, iterative process, a semi-standardized questionnaire was developed and sent to N = 7095 students (S) of all study programs and N = 2528 lecturers (L) at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. The study was conducted from November 2018 to February 2019. Besides a broad range of questions on sociodemographic background allowing for diversity sensitive data analysis, they were asked if they had witnessed and/or experienced any form of discrimination or sexual harassment at the medical faculty, if yes, how often, the perceived reasons, situational factors and perpetrators. RESULTS: The response rate was 14% (n = 964) for students and 11% (n = 275) for lecturers. A proportion of 49.6% of students (L: 31%) reported that they have witnessed and/or experienced discriminatory behavior. Sexual harassment was witnessed and/or experienced by 23.6% of students (L: 19.2%). Lecturers (85.9%) were identified as the main source of discriminatory behavior by students. Directors/supervisors (47.4%) were stated as the main source of discriminatory behavior by lecturers. As the most frequent perceived reason for discriminatory experiences sex/gender (S: 71%; L: 60.3%) was reported. Women and dental students experienced more discriminatory behavior and sexual harassment. CONCLUSIONS: Discriminatory behavior is experienced by a significant number of students and lecturers, with power structures having a relevant impact. Dental students and women appear to be particularly exposed. Specific institutional measures, such as training programs for lecturers and students are necessary to raise awareness and provide resources. Furthermore, national preventive strategies should be thoroughly implemented to fight discrimination and harassment at the workplace.

Sexual harassment and implicit gender-career biases negatively impact women's life expectancy in the US: a state-level analysis, 2011-2019.

BACKGROUND: Despite some gains, women continue to have less access to work and poorer experiences in the workplace, relative to men. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among women's life expectancy and two work-related factors, sexual harassment and gender-career biases. METHOD: We examined the associations at the state level of analysis (and District of Columbia) in the US from 2011 to 2019 (n = 459) using archival data from various sources. Measures of the ratio of population to primary health providers, year, the percent of adults who are uninsured, the percent of residents aged 65 or older, and percent of residents who are Non-Hispanic White all served as controls. RESULTS: Results of linear regression models showed that, after accounting for the controls, sexual harassment and gender-career biases among people in the state held significant, negative associations with women's life expectancy. CONCLUSION: The study contributes to the small but growing literature showing that negative workplace experiences and bias against women in the workplace negatively impact women's health.

Problematic situations related to social media use and competencies to prevent them: results of a Delphi study.

A three-round Delphi method was used to study the problematic situations that adolescents may encounter when using the social media, and the competencies needed to address these situations. A panel of Finnish experts (N = 22) provided an open-ended list of problematic situations and competencies in 2020-2021. These were then evaluated and ranked according to their significance. The experts provided an information-rich list of both problematic situations and competencies. Finally, 16 problematic situations and 19 competencies were ranked in order of importance by the experts. The most important problematic situations were direct and indirect cyberbullying and sexual harassment. The most important competencies were the ability to act responsibly, knowing what kinds of activity are prohibited, and knowing whom to contact on exposure to cyberbullying or harassment. The findings can be used in developing policies, recommendations, and solutions aimed at counteracting the harmful effects of social media on wellbeing during adolescence.

The relationships of sexually harassing behaviors to organizational context factors and working men's dark personality traits.

This research examined the roles of organization contexts factors and dark personality traits in men's (N = 600) self-reports of sexually harassing behaviors toward women in the workplace. Four organization context factors (a permissive climate, a masculinized job/gender context, male/female contact, and Masculinity Contest Culture [MCC] Norms) and four dark personality traits (psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and sadism) were examined. While only one organizational context factor, MCC Norms correlated with men's admissions of sexually harassing behaviors at work, all four dark personality traits evidenced significant correlations. In a multiple regression analysis, MCC Norms emerged again as the single organizational context predictor and psychopathy as the single personality predictor of men's admissions of sexually harassing behaviors at work. Moderation analyses showed that a masculinized job/gender context interacted with psychopathy to produce more admissions of sexually harassing behaviors. Mediation analyses showed that psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism had indirect relationships with admissions of sexually harassing behaviors through MCC Norms. Higher levels on these traits were related to higher levels of these workplace norms which, in turn, predicted more admissions of sexually harassing behavior. This research sheds new light on how both organizational contexts and enduring personal characteristics of men are related to sexual harassment in the workplace.

Trends in Sexual Harassment Prevalence and Recognition During Intern Year.

This cohort study uses Internal Health Study and Sexual Experiences Questionnaire data to assess changes in sexual harassment prevalence and recognition among training physicians.

Can Virtual Reality be Used for the Prevention of Peer Sexual Harassment in Adolescence? First Evaluation of the Virtual-PRO Program.

Objective: The present study analyzed the Virtual-PRO program's efficacy in preventing peer sexual harassment by promoting the bystanders' active intervention and incorporating a virtual reality (VR) component. The impact of the program on sexist attitudes, moral disengagement, the intention to intervene as bystanders, and the involvement in sexual aggression and victimization was tested. Method: Virtual-PRO is a VR-enhanced sexual harassment curricular prevention program of six one-hour sessions. The evaluation comprised a pre-test, a post-test after the intervention, and a follow-up measure at three months. In the study, 579 Spanish adolescent students aged between 12 and 17 years (M = 14.76, SD = 0.88; 47.1% boys) were randomly grouped into experimental (n = 286) and control (n = 293) conditions. Results: The Virtual-PRO program effectively controlled participants' levels of sexism and reduced moral disengagement in the experimental group compared to the control group three months after the intervention. The program also showed positive results in changing bystander behavior, increasing the intention to intervene when the victim was not a friend. Finally, visual/verbal and online victimization decreased in the experimental group and increased in the control group. No differences were found for physical sexual victimization and sexual aggression. Conclusions: The first trial of the Virtual-PRO program is promising and highlights the use of VR as a sexual harassment prevention tool. Follow-up measures are essential to determine the impact of interventions accurately.

Objetivo: El presente estudio analiza la eficacia del programa Virtual-PRO en la prevención del acoso sexual entre iguales promoviendo la intervención activa de los espectadores mediante el uso de la realidad virtual (RV). Se comprobó el impacto del programa en las actitudes sexistas, la desconexión moral, la intención de intervenir como espectadores y la implicación en agresión y victimización sexual. Método: Virtual-PRO es un programa curricular compuesto por seis unidades que incorpora la RV para mejorar la prevención del acoso sexual. La evaluación incluyó una medida pre-test, un post-test después de la intervención y una medida de seguimiento a los tres meses. En el estudio participaron 579 estudiantes españoles de entre 12 y 17 años (M = 14.76, DT = 0.88, 47.1% chicos), agrupados aleatoriamente en grupo experimental (n = 286) y control (n = 293). Resultados: El programa Virtual-PRO controló eficazmente los niveles de sexismo y redujo la desconexión moral en el grupo experimental en comparación con el grupo de control tres meses después de la intervención. También mostró resultados positivos en el cambio del comportamiento de los espectadores, mejorando la intención de intervenir cuando la víctima no era amigo o amiga. Por último, la victimización visual/verbal y online disminuyó en el grupo experimental y aumentó en el grupo control. No se encontraron diferencias en victimización sexual física y agresión sexual. Conclusiones: El primer ensayo del programa Virtual-PRO es prometedor y pone de relieve el uso de la RV como herramienta eficaz para la prevención del acoso sexual. Las medidas de seguimiento son esenciales para determinar con precisión el efecto de las intervenciones.

Sexual harassment exposure among junior high school students in Norway: prevalence and associated factors.

Background: Sexual harassment is common in most countries and cultures. Less is known about sexual harassment, its risk factors, and psychosocial outcomes among young adolescents. The aim of the study was to examine the 12-month prevalence of sexual harassment exposure, and sociodemographic and psychosocial factors associated with exposure among junior high school students in Norway. Methods: A comprehensive cross-sectional study was completed by 83,297 Norwegian adolescents in junior high school in 2021. Data on exposure to sexual harassment were used in combination with sociodemographic measures and psychosocial outcomes: depressive symptoms, loneliness, self-esteem, and well-being. Group differences were analyzed with Chi Square tests, and sociodemographic risk factors were analyzed with logistic regression. Psychosocial outcomes were assessed with multivariate and univariate ANOVAs, and dose-response relationships were assessed with linear regression. Results: Among the adolescents, 32.6% had experienced sexual harassment during the past year. Girls had higher odds of exposure (OR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.84-1.96), whereas adolescents whose parents had higher education had lower odds (OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.90-0.99). Exposure was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms (partial η2 [ES] = 0.11) and loneliness (ES = 0.07), and with lower self-esteem (ES = 0.06) and well-being (ES = 0.06). Among exposed adolescents, more frequent exposure was associated with poorer outcomes. Conclusion: Exposure to sexual harassment affects one third of junior high school students in Norway. Those who are exposed have poorer psychosocial outcomes, and there is a dose-response relationship between exposure and outcomes. Awareness of sexual harassment among young adolescents, and interventions to prevent and reduce it, are needed.

Beyond reporting: proactive strategies for safer scientific fieldwork.

Fieldwork is crucial for science but poses heightened risks of gender-based harassment and assault. Current practices prioritize post-incident reporting, despite the demonstrated potential of preventive approaches. We recommend proactive practices, training strategies, and systemic policy changes to build safe and inclusive fieldwork settings from the outset.

Invasion of privacy or structural violence? Harassment against women in public transport environments: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Despite being neglected for several decades, and in many countries, public transport environments have transformed into a reflection of social disparities and inequalities. Among these issues, harassment-a pervasive and worldwide gendered dynamic-has been demonstrated to negatively impact women's behavioral trends, daily opportunities, and health impacts, as well as safety and security outcomes. AIM: This systematic review aimed to examine a set of studies analyzing harassment against women in public transport environments, with a focus on key issues such as its prevalence, impact on transport dynamics, preventive strategies, and policing avenues documented in the scientific literature. METHOD: A total of 575 indexed articles were filtered using the PRISMA methodology, resulting in a final selection of 28 original articles directly addressing the issue up to December 2023. Search strategies were developed and implemented across WOS, Scopus, NCBI, Google Scholar, and APA databases. RESULTS: Besides high frequency, widespread underreporting, and adverse effects on women's safety, this review has identified correlations between harassment and travel behavioral adaptations. Furthermore, it reveals a noticeable disparity between the existing measures and those perceived as more effective by potential victims. These findings underscore the pressing need to listen to and promote the inclusion of women in decision-making regarding transport affairs. CONCLUSION: The findings of this systematic review suggest that, despite a slightly limited body of research, the impact of transport harassment on women's health and welfare is consistently supported in the literature. In addition to being largely explained by existing inequalities rooted in social determinants, transit harassment further exacerbates gender gaps, gaining prospective importance for transport settings.

Bystanders' thresholds for intervention in Black vs. White women's sexual harassment.

Black women's sexual harassment is often overlooked and dismissed relative to White women's harassment. In three pre-registered experiments, we test whether this neglect extends to bystander intervention in sexual harassment. Participants observed an ostensibly live job interview between a man manager and a Black or White woman job candidate. The manager's questions were pre-programmed to grow increasingly harassing, and participants were asked to intervene if/when they found the interview inappropriate. A meta-analysis of the three studies (N = 1487), revealed that bystanders did not differ in their threshold for intervention when sexual harassment targeted the Black vs. White woman. Despite evidence for the relative neglect of Black women in responses to sexual harassment, these data suggest that bystanders may respond similarly for Black and White women.

Musculoskeletal pain among medical residents: role of workplace safety climate and sexual harassment.

BACKGROUND: Workplace factors are important predictors of occurrence of musculoskeletal pain among different occupational populations. In healthcare, a psychologically unsafe work environment can negatively affect the emotional, physical and psychological well-being of physicians. This study aimed to examine the relationship between workplace violence, sexual harassment and musculoskeletal pain among Egyptian physicians in their years of residency. METHODS: We distributed an online self-administered questionnaire to 101 residents working in various healthcare sectors in Egypt. It included sections on demographic data, working conditions, widespread pain index (WPI), pain interference short-form, workplace violence and harassment questionnaire, psychosocial safety climate questionnaire (PSC) and sexual harassment climate questionnaire. RESULTS: All residents had at least one painful site on the WPI (range 1-11). The mean WPI was 3.5 ± 2.4, and 39.6% satisfied the criteria of having widespread pain by having at least 4 pain sites. Widespread pain index showed a weak statistically significant negative correlation with workplace PSC score (rho = - 0.272, p = 0.006), and a statistically significant weak positive correlation with the calculated total abuse index (rho = 0.305, p = 0.002). Workplace violence and abuse, as measured by a calculated abuse index was the only significant predictors of widespread pain among residents. CONCLUSION: WPV was found to be a predictor of musculoskeletal pain among medical residents. Healthcare organizations need to address WPV by employing preventive strategies to minimize its hazardous effects and ensure a safe working environment for physicians.

Can Virtual Reality be Used for the Prevention of Peer Sexual Harassment in Adolescence? First Evaluation of the Virtual-PRO Program / [¿Puede utilizarse la realidad virtual para prevenir el acoso sexual entre iguales en la adolescencia? Primera evaluación del programa Virtual-PRO]

Objective: The present study analyzed the Virtual-PRO program’s efficacy in preventing peer sexual harassment by promoting the bystanders’ active intervention and incorporating a virtual reality (VR) component. The impact of the program on sexist attitudes, moral disengagement, the intention to intervene as bystanders, and the involvement in sexual aggression and victimization was tested. Method: Virtual-PRO is a VR-enhanced sexual harassment curricular prevention program of six one-hour sessions. The evaluation comprised a pre-test, a post-test after the intervention, and a follow-up measure at three months. In the study, 579 Spanish adolescent students aged between 12 and 17 years (M = 14.76, SD = 0.88; 47.1% boys) were randomly grouped into experimental (n = 286) and control (n = 293) conditions. Results: The Virtual-PRO program effectively controlled participants’ levels of sexism and reduced moral disengagement in the experimental group compared to the control group three months after the intervention. The program also showed positive results in changing bystander behavior, increasing the intention to intervene when the victim was not a friend. Finally, visual/verbal and online victimization decreased in the experimental group and increased in the control group. No differences were found for physical sexual victimization and sexual aggression. Conclusions: The first trial of the Virtual-PRO program is promising and highlights the use of VR as a sexual harassment prevention tool. Follow-up measures are essential to determine the impact of interventions accurately.(AU)

Objetivo: El presente estudio analiza la eficacia del programa Virtual-PRO en la prevención del acoso sexual entre iguales promoviendo la intervención activa de los espectadores mediante el uso de la realidad virtual (RV). Se comprobó el impacto del programa en las actitudes sexistas, la desconexión moral, la intención de intervenir como espectadores y la implicación en agresión y victimización sexual. Método: Virtual-PRO es un programa curricular compuesto por seis unidades que incorpora la RV para mejorar la prevención del acoso sexual. La evaluación incluyó una medida pre-test, un post-test después de la intervención y una medida de seguimiento a los tres meses. En el estudio participaron 579 estudiantes españoles de entre 12 y 17 años (M = 14.76, DT = 0.88, 47.1% chicos), agrupados aleatoriamente en grupo experimental (n = 286) y control (n = 293). Resultados: El programa Virtual-PRO controló eficazmente los niveles de sexismo y redujo la desconexión moral en el grupo experimental en comparación con el grupo de control tres meses después de la intervención. También mostró resultados positivos en el cambio del comportamiento de los espectadores, mejorando la intención de intervenir cuando la víctima no era amigo o amiga. Por último, la victimización visual/verbal y online disminuyó en el grupo experimental y aumentó en el grupo control. No se encontraron diferencias en victimización sexual física y agresión sexual. Conclusiones: El primer ensayo del programa Virtual-PRO es prometedor y pone de relieve el uso de la RV como herramienta eficaz para la prevención del acoso sexual. Las medidas de seguimiento son esenciales para determinar con precisión el efecto de las intervenciones.(AU)

Testing the effectiveness of interactive training on sexual harassment and assault in field science.

Fieldwork is a critical tool for scientific research, particularly in applied disciplines. Yet fieldwork is often unsafe, especially for members of historically marginalized groups and people whose presence in scientific spaces threatens traditional hierarchies of power, authority, and legitimacy. Research is needed to identify interventions that prevent sexual harassment and assault from occurring in the first place. We conducted a quasi-experiment assessing the impacts of a 90-min interactive training on field-based staff in a United States state government agency. We hypothesized that the knowledge-based interventions, social modeling, and mastery experiences included in the training would increase participants' sexual harassment and assault prevention knowledge, self-efficacy, behavioural intention, and behaviour after the training compared to a control group of their peers. Treatment-control and pre-post training survey data indicate that the training increased participants' sexual harassment and assault prevention knowledge and prevention self-efficacy, and, to a lesser extent, behavioural intention. These increases persisted several months after the training for knowledge and self-efficacy. While we did not detect differences in the effect of the training for different groups, interestingly, post-hoc tests indicated that women and members of underrepresented racial groups generally scored lower compared to male and white respondents, suggesting that these groups self-assess their own capabilities differently. Finally, participants' likelihood to report incidents increased after the training but institutional reports remained low, emphasizing the importance of efforts to transform reporting systems and develop better methods to measure bystander actions. These results support the utility of a peer-led interactive intervention for improving workplace culture and safety in scientific fieldwork settings. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: "The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on August 24, 2022. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.21770165 .

Sexual Minority Youth Reporting SOGIE-Based Harassment to Adults at School: The Roles of Experienced Harassment, Outness, Safety, and Adult Support at School.

Despite a proliferation of bullying prevention programs in recent time, limited work has investigated support-seeking behaviors in response to elevated bullying levels among sexual minority youth (SMY). To address this gap, the current study examined how harassment targeting SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), sexual identity outness, school safety, and perceptions of teacher/staff support were associated with SMY talking to an adult at school about harassment. A large contemporary national sample of SMY (N = 5538) between the ages 13-18 (Mage = 15.53, SD = 1.33) who experienced at least one form of SOGIE-based harassment in the past year was leveraged for analyses. Hierarchical multivariable logistic regressions revealed more frequent SOGIE-based harassment was associated with greater odds of reporting harassment to school personnel, particularly among SMY who felt safe at school. Findings highlight the need for school-based interventions to foster school safety among SMY who experience peer harassment to promote their reporting of this behavior.

Association of burnout and harassment among cardiology trainees: Pakistan's perspective.

OBJECTIVE: This study explores the relationship between sexual harassment and burnout among cardiology trainees, shedding light on the prevalence and impact of these experiences in medical practice. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 518 respondents, with 420 responding to the Sexual Experience Questionnaire (SEQ). The survey measured harassment experiences and their impact on burnout, especially among female physicians. Correlations were analyzed to understand the association between these variables. RESULTS: Out of 1,375 invitees, we received 671 (48.8 %) responses. The study population was divided into two main groups: males (359) and females (312). The study identified a high prevalence of sexual harassment experiences among female physicians, with incidents occurring primarily during training. Moderate to large correlations were observed between SEQ subscales related to colleagues and patients and their families. While sexual harassment was not significantly related to burnout, this study suggests the need for interventions to create a safer medical workplace. Approximately 22 % of male participants (n = 359) reported career-related inappropriate sexual incidents, with 28 % of male physicians experiencing weekly burnout. Among female participants (n = 312), around 37 % reported inappropriate incidents, while 42 % of female physicians felt weekly burnout. CONCLUSION: Sexual harassment in medicine is a pervasive issue with potential implications for physician well-being. Initiatives aimed at changing the organizational response and fostering a more equitable environment are warranted to address this critical concern.

Measuring Sexual and Gender-Based Violence at the University of Cape Coast: Developing and Deploying a Campus Climate Survey.

AIMS: Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a global public health crisis, impacting university youth around the world. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) determine the best methodology for conducting a campus climate survey at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Ghana and (b) gather data on SGBV knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors from a representative sample of students. METHODS: This descriptive study included three phases: (a) develop a campus climate survey unique to UCC, (b) develop a sampling methodology, and (c) deploy the first ever campus climate survey at UCC. RESULTS: A 71-item survey was developed and then administered via a student portal to 2,000 students. Of those students, 1,381 (69.1%) responded. Although most students (63.2%) know the university has a sexual harassment policy, fewer have seen it (25.9%) or read it (22.3%). Students held generally positive views of how the university would respond to reports of sexual harassment, although 50.2% of participants believed the reporter would be labeled a troublemaker. More participants reported seeking and giving verbal than nonverbal consent, and more men than women reported both seeking and giving verbal consent. More men than women reported they "always" sought verbal consent (61.2% vs. 47.7%, p = 0.001). Most students ( n = 316, 56.5%) sought verbal consent all of the time, and an additional 99 (17.7%) sought it most of the time. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate data about students' knowledge, attitudes, and experiences with SGBV policy, prevention, and response are needed globally to better inform locally appropriate practices. POTENTIAL IMPACT OF CAMPUS INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT ON FORENSIC NURSING: Forensic nursing is currently localized in high-income countries. University students' knowledge, attitudes, and experiences with SGBV can support the expansion of forensic nursing research and practice to low- and middle-income countries.