The Effect of Sexual Harassment Experience on Self-esteem and Clinical Competence among Nursing Students in Clinical Practice

This study aims to identify the effect of sexual harassment experiences of nursing students in clinical practice on their self-esteem and clinical competence. The survey data were collected from 319 nursing students in grade 3 and 4 enrolled in three universities located in G province of South Korea, and analyzed by descriptive statistical analysis, t-test and correlation analysis. The results show that 72.7% of nursing students experienced sexual harassment mostly from patients (74.9%) at general ward (64.9%). It is also found that, when experiencing harassment, they sought help from a nurse or head nurse and wanted the hospital to get involved to resolve the issue. A positive correlation was found between their experience with sexual harassment and their self-esteem and clinical competence. This study has contribution on providing basic information that can be used to create a safe nursing practice environment through prevention and protection measures against sexual harassment during clinical practice.