Sexual harassment in a male dominated workplace

In 2000 workplace harassment was studied in the Dutch police force. In 2006 a similar study was conducted in the police force and also in the Dutch army. These studies provide insight into the relation between male dominance and sexual harassment, into the association between sexual harassment and health, and into the impact of policies against sexual harassment. It is shown that women who work in a predominantly male environment, are at risk of sexual harassment. This is mediated by the presence of male dominated cultural norms, Further, it appears that normative male dominance is not only related to sexual harassment, but also to bullying. Sexual harassment has negative health consequences for female and male victims and is difficult to prevent in a male dominated organization.

Sexual harassment and health among male and female police officers

The aims of this study were to investigate whether sexual harassment is related to mental and physical health of both men and women, and to explore the possible moderating effects of gender on the relation between sexual harassment and health. In addition, we investigated whether women were more often bothered by sexual harassment than men, and whether victims who report being bothered by the harassment experience more health problems compared to victims who did not feel bothered. A representative sample of 3,001 policemen and 1,295 policewomen in the Dutch police force filled out an Internet questionnaire. It appeared that women were more often bothered by sexual harassment than men, but gender did not moderate the relation between sexual harassment and mental and physical health. In addition. victims who felt bothered by the harassing behaviors reported more mental and physical health problems than victims who did not feel bothered. The distinction between bothered and nonbothered victims is important because appraisal is an essential aspect in the operationalization of sexual harassment

A mixed methods evaluation of Girls' Talk+: A sexuality education programme for girls with mild intellectual disabilities

Background: Girls with a mild intellectual disability generally receive less sexuality education than their non-disabled peers, while their needs for sexual knowledge are possibly greater. This study aimed to evaluate the effect and process of a new sexuality education programme (Girls' Talk+), focused on sexual health among girls with a mild intellectual disability in the Netherlands. Methods: A mixed methods approach was applied, using participant questionnaires (n = 249), logs written by trainers (n = 17) and interviews with trainers (n = 10). Descriptive statistics and linear regression models were used to analyse the quantitative data. Several coding phases were used to analyse the interviews. Results and conclusions: This study provides some indication that Girls' Talk+ has positive results on improving knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy in relation to sexual health as well as trainer and participant satisfaction with the programme

Interpreting survey questions about sexual aggression in cross-cultural research: A qualitative study with young adults from nine european Countries

Examining equivalence in the interpretation of survey items on sexual assault by participants from different cultures is an important step toward building a valid international knowledge base about the prevalence of sexual aggression among young adults. Referring to the theoretical framework of contextualism, this study presents qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 128 young adults from nine EU countries on their understanding of survey items from the Sexual Aggression and Victimization Scale (SAV-S). The measure had previously been used to collect quantitative data on the prevalence of sexual aggression perpetration and victimization in the same countries that had yielded substantial differences in the rates of victimization and perpetration between countries. Based on the methodological approach of a mixed research design, the current study was conducted as a follow-up to the quantitative study with a new sample to explore whether systematic differences in the interpretation of the survey items in the different countries might explain part of the variation in prevalence rates. The interviews showed that participants from the nine countries interpreted the items of the SAV-S in a similar way and as intended by the authors of the scale. Systematic differences between men and women in interpreting the survey items were revealed. Implications of the findings for conducting survey research on sexual aggression across cultures are discussed