Vol 3, No 2 (2005)
Research paper
Published online: 2005-07-04
Factors maximizing the risk of sexual harassment and preventing it
Seksuologia Polska 2005;3(2):43-51.
Abstract
Introduction. This article presents the results of the empirical research concerning the notion of coping
with difficult situations connected with the threat of sexual harassment. The assumptions of the research
were based on the salutogenetic approach. The aim of the research was to establish whether the factors
minimizing and maximizing the risk of being exposed to sexual harassment or facilitating the process of
regaining the psychophysical balance after these experience are present both in the intra- and interpersonal
environment of an entity.
Material and methods. In order to verify the research hypotheses, the anonymous questionnaire method was conducted. The research group consisted of 135 women, in the age of 20-55.
Results and conclusions. The results of empirical research confirmed the hypotheses partially. It turned out that a human being has a group of certain psychic features and social skills at his disposal, which play the role of buffers that enable him to manage crisis situations as challenges, which can be met. These properties are: the sense of coherence (SOC), the locus of control (LOC) and mindfulness (MIND), whose high value are tightly connected with adaptability indicators - pertaining to low risk of harassment - of the subjects’ functioning. The firm sense of coherence enables a person to quickly evaluate a situation, to choose adequate resources and act effectively. Mindfulness supports this process. The internal locus of control influences the quality of resources used in a given situation and the efficiency of the acting strategies. That is why these properties can together counteract the inadaptability, which is a risk factor of physical harassment and multiple victimization. What is surprising, inadaptability is not tightly connected with sexual harassment. There is not any explicit correlation between these two variables. That is why inadaptability can not be treated as an important risk factor of experiences like that.
Material and methods. In order to verify the research hypotheses, the anonymous questionnaire method was conducted. The research group consisted of 135 women, in the age of 20-55.
Results and conclusions. The results of empirical research confirmed the hypotheses partially. It turned out that a human being has a group of certain psychic features and social skills at his disposal, which play the role of buffers that enable him to manage crisis situations as challenges, which can be met. These properties are: the sense of coherence (SOC), the locus of control (LOC) and mindfulness (MIND), whose high value are tightly connected with adaptability indicators - pertaining to low risk of harassment - of the subjects’ functioning. The firm sense of coherence enables a person to quickly evaluate a situation, to choose adequate resources and act effectively. Mindfulness supports this process. The internal locus of control influences the quality of resources used in a given situation and the efficiency of the acting strategies. That is why these properties can together counteract the inadaptability, which is a risk factor of physical harassment and multiple victimization. What is surprising, inadaptability is not tightly connected with sexual harassment. There is not any explicit correlation between these two variables. That is why inadaptability can not be treated as an important risk factor of experiences like that.
Keywords: sexual harassmentharassment risk factorssense of coherenceinternal locus of controlmindfulness
