Effect of Sexual Harassment Experience on the Job of a Physical Therapist : Seoul Metropolitan Area

Purpose : Sexual harassment cases involving health and medical workers, including physical therapists, nurses and psychotherapists, are on the rise. Despite the increased incidence of sexual harassment, prior studies show that physical therapists, nursing assistants and caregivers are not doing well cope with sexual harassment. Therefore this study examines the factors associated with sexual harassment damage experience among physical therapists, as well as the relationship between sexual harassment damage experience and job-related aspects. It is intended to prepare basic data for programs and research that can mediate these issues. Methods : We conducted a self-reported questionnaire survey of 200 physical therapists working at medical institutions in the Seoul metropolitan area. The survey items included sexual harassment experience and job-related aspects such as satisfaction, stress, burnout, and engagement. A correlation analysis was conducted to clarify the relationship between sexual harassment experience and job-related factors, and multiple regression analysis was conducted to verify the correlations of sexual harassment experience on physical therapists’ job. Results : There was a weak correlation between sexual harassment experience, job satisfaction, and job engagement, and a moderate correlation between sexual harassment experience, job stress, and job burnout. The impact of sexual harassment experience on job had a significant correlation on job satisfaction, job stress and burnout. Conclusions : Sexual harassment damage experience among physical therapists had a significant impact on many job aspects. Thus, there is a need for countermeasures and education to prevent sexual harassment, or at least effectively cope with the consequences. It is proposed to expand to other local or national units as follow-up studies, to study other factors affecting sexual harassment damage experience, and to develop and verify programs to cope with or prevent sexual harassment damage experience.