Exposure, Reporting, and Distress Following Sexual Harassment in Geriatric Care

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Healthcare Worker Well-being
• Occupational Health Psychology

Background:

• Sexual harassment is a recognized issue in healthcare, but data from geriatric settings is scarce.
• Understanding its prevalence and impact in these specific environments is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of sexual harassment among healthcare workers in geriatric institutions.
• To explore attribution patterns, reporting intentions, and psychological outcomes associated with this harassment.
• To identify key predictors of psychological distress in this population.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study design.
• Anonymous questionnaires administered to 159 healthcare workers in northern Israeli geriatric facilities.
• Data collected on sexual harassment experiences, perpetrator type, intentionality, reporting intentions, and psychological impact.

Main Results:

• 34.0% of participants reported experiencing sexual harassment in the past year, with verbal harassment being most frequent.
• Reporting intentions were influenced by perpetrator type and perceived intentionality, but not by attributions to illness or context.
• Emotional and occupational impact emerged as the strongest predictor of psychological distress, surpassing the effect of harassment exposure alone.

Conclusions:

• Sexual harassment is a significant concern in geriatric care settings, impacting a substantial proportion of healthcare workers.
• Attribution and perceived intentionality play a role in reporting decisions, but the psychological burden is heavily influenced by the emotional and occupational consequences.
• Further research and interventions are needed to address sexual harassment and support the mental well-being of healthcare professionals in geriatric care.