Sexual harassment of nurses: an occupational hazard?

A questionnaire was administered to qualified and student nurses to assess the prevalence and consequences of sexual harassment. There was a 56% completion rate. Of these 43 (66%) of the registered nurses and nine (35%) of the student nurses reported having experienced sexual harassment. The incidence of harassment for registered nurses in the year prior to the study was 46%. Patients were most likely to be the harasser for both student and registered nurses but there was an increased likelihood that other staff were involved in the harassment of registered nurses with doctors and male nursing staff being the predominant perpetrators. Dimensions of assertiveness and sex role identity did not predict the likelihood of harassment. Results are discussed in the context of attribution theory and gender power relationships.