Upsetting behavior : Reactions to personal and bystander sexual harassment experiences

The current research was designed to examine objective & contextual factors related to the appraisal of potentially sexually harassing situations. Working female participants (n=208) from a mid-sized southwestern university completed a workplace experiences survey in small groups. The majority of participants were Hispanic/Latina (77.9%). We predicted that characteristics of personal harassment experiences (e.g., number of distinct types of behaviors experienced, frequency, duration) & bystander harassment experiences would contribute independently to how upset women were by their own sexual harassment experiences. Results indicated that characteristics of personal harassment experiences & bystander experiences did predict how upset women were by their own gender harassment & by unwanted sexual attention experiences. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of considering multiple types of workplace stressors (e.g., personal & bystander sexual harassment experiences) & their relation to the appraisal process. Tables, References. Adapted from the source document.