Sexual harassment and mental health at work

The results of an online Tea-breaker poll

Summary:

Our February 2024 Tea-breaker poll asked about the extent to which sexual harassment is raised in OH consultations as a cause of stress and poor mental health.

More than half of occupational health (OH) professionals responding to our February Tea-breaker poll say that, in their OH consultations, the issue of sexual harassment is raised at least sometimes by workers as a cause of their stress and poor mental health; however, only 9% described this as a frequent occurrence. OH doctors were more likely than OH nurses to report that sexual harassment is discussed in OH consultations.

A 2023 survey by the TUC found that 58% of women had experienced sexual harassment, bullying or verbal abuse at work, with 45% of victims/survivors saying it had affected their mental health¹. Research has linked exposure to physical and verbal sexual harassment to increased risk of poor mental health, migraine and physical illnesses²,³_…

Dr John Ballard is editor of Occupational Health [at Work]

Author: Ballard J

Tags harassment

Occupational Health at Work April/May 2024 (vol. 20/6) pp18-21

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