Longitudinal analysis of dispositional influences and sexual harassment: Effects on job and psychological outcomes

Research consistently demonstrates that sexual harassment is related to a v ariety of negative outcomes. Negative outcomes, however, may be influenced by respondents' dispositions or response biases rather than by their sexual harassment experiences alone. This study investigates relationships betwee n negative outcomes and sexual harassment over time in an attempt to assess this possibility. Further, little empirical research on sexual harassment has explored the impact of various coping strategies on experiences of hara ssment over time. Sexual harassment experiences, job-related and psychologi cal outcomes, and coping responses were obtained from 216 female faculty an d staff members at a midwestern university at 2 times, 24 months apart. Pat terns of results suggests that sexual harassment has important effects on j ob-related and psychological outcomes that operate independently of disposi tional influences or response biases. Results also indicate that sexual har assment at Time 1 is a better predictor of harassment at Time 2 than are co ping strategies.