ARQ Centre of Expertise for the Impact of Disasters and Crises, Diemen, The Netherlands.
ARQ International, Diemen, The Netherlands.
J Interpers Violence. 2023 Jun;38(11-12):7426-7456. doi: 10.1177/08862605221145954. Epub 2023 Feb 7.
To date, there have been no cohort studies of sexual harassment incidence and its relation to mental health within humanitarian field-workers. Research among numerous occupations suggests an association between workplace sexual harassment and several health complaints. This study examined the incidence and severity of sexual harassment and its association with changes in mental health in a cohort of international humanitarian aid field-workers (iHAWs). Four hundred and seventy-eight iHAWs filled in questionnaires about sexual harassment, depression, anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as part of a larger study on health and well-being. Six percent of male and 18% of female iHAWs reported experiencing sexual harassment during their latest field assignment, with most reporting low levels of nonphysical forms of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment was predictive of negative changes in both depression and anxiety symptom severity between before and after an assignment for females; for males, it predicted negative changes in PTSD symptom severity. Sexual harassment did not predict utilization of mental healthcare services within 2 months after the end of assignment. The current findings are the first figures derived from a representative sample of iHAWs on the incidence of sexual harassment during a field assignment and show sexual harassment to be a relatively common and present issue. The findings are mostly in line with the extant literature and underscore the importance of attending to the issue of sexual harassment in the humanitarian sector.
迄今为止，尚无针对人道主义工作者中性骚扰发生率及其与心理健康之间关系的队列研究。多项职业研究表明，工作场所性骚扰与多种健康问题之间存在关联。本研究在国际人道主义援助外勤工作者（iHAWs）的队列中，调查了性骚扰的发生率和严重程度及其与心理健康变化的关系。478 名 iHAWs 在更大规模的健康和福祉研究中填写了关于性骚扰、抑郁、焦虑和创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的问卷。6%的男性和 18%的女性 iHAWs 在最近的实地任务中报告遭受性骚扰，大多数报告的是非身体形式的性骚扰程度较低。性骚扰可预测女性在任务前后抑郁和焦虑症状严重程度的负面变化；对于男性，它可预测 PTSD 症状严重程度的负面变化。性骚扰并没有预测到任务结束后 2 个月内利用精神保健服务。目前的研究结果是首次从代表性的 iHAWs 样本中得出的关于实地任务期间性骚扰发生率的数字，表明性骚扰是一个相对普遍和存在的问题。研究结果与现有文献基本一致，强调了在人道主义部门关注性骚扰问题的重要性。
