ArticleThe Lancet. Public health2024
Sexual violence in the workplace and associated health outcomes: a nationwide, cross-sectional analysis of women in Iceland.
Article in The Lancet. Public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Predicting residual pain after vertebral augmentation in vertebral compression fractures: a systematic review and critical appraisal of risk prediction models.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Pooled it
- The impact of working conditions on sickness absence among older workers: a systematic review.European journal of ageing · 2026Review
- Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Chinese Adolescents in Relation to Negative Life Events, Internet Addiction, and Sexual Abuse: Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Workplace violence and self-reported physical and mental health: a national cross-sectional study in Lebanon.Journal of global health · 2026Article
- Prevalence of workplace violence and association with individual and workplace environmental factors in the Danish merchant fleet.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Perimenopausal symptoms in women with and without ADHD: A population-based cohort study.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2025Article
- Violence in Healthcare Workers Is Associated with Disordered Eating.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
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Abstract
backgroundWorkplace sexual violence against women is a pressing global issue with scarce knowledge on its health implications. Existing research is largely limited to specific occupations, which calls for comprehensive, population-based studies. This study aimed to examine the associations between self-labelled workplace sexual violence and a variety of health outcomes in a nationally representative sample of Icelandic women aged 18-69 years.
methodsParticipants in this cross-sectional study were women in the Stress-And-Gene-Analysis (SAGA) cohort who answered the question regarding workplace sexual violence, defined in our study as encompassing all work sectors, academic settings, and other school environments. Eligible participants were women, aged 18-69 years, residing in Iceland, who spoke Icelandic and were listed in the Icelandic Population Register or had a contact number registered with the online 1819 service. Poisson and binomial regressions were used to assess the associations between workplace sexual violence and validated measures of current mental and physical health outcomes (eg, probable depression, general anxiety, and severe sleep problems). Multiple imputation was performed to account for missing values in the dataset.
findingsThe study was conducted from March 1, 2018, to July 1, 2019. Of the 113 814 women deemed eligible for study inclusion, 104 197 were invited to take part in the online survey. Of those invited, 30 403 women completed the survey and were included in the SAGA cohort. Among these participants, 15 812 provided answers to the question regarding exposure to workplace sexual harassment or violence. Exposure to sexual violence was associated with an increased prevalence of probable depression (prevalence ratio [PR] 1·50 [95% CI 1·41-1·60]), general anxiety (PR 1·49 [1·40-1·59]), social phobia (PR 1·62 [1·48-1·78]), self-harm (PR 1·86 [1·53-2·28]), suicidal ideation (PR 1·68 [1·44-1·68]), suicide attempts (PR 1·99 [1·62-2·44]), binge drinking (PR 1·10 [1·01-1·20]), sleep problems (PR 1·41 [1·48-1·91]), physical symptoms (PR 1·59 [1·48-1·70]), and sick leave (PR 1·20 [1·12-1·28]). The prevalence of the health outcomes among those exposed show age-related differences: younger women report anxiety or depression more frequently, while older women report sleep problems after experiencing workplace sexual violence.
interpretationIn this cross-sectional study self-reported experiences of sexual violence in the workplace were associated with several self-reported health outcomes. The findings suggest a need for targeted interventions to promote workplace safety and to mitigate adverse health implications among people who have experienced workplace sexual violence. Future research should explore factors such as the frequency, duration, and relationship dynamics of workplace sexual violence, as well as the effect on different genders and sexual orientations, to deepen our understanding of these experiences and inform effective prevention strategies.
fundingReykjavík Energy Research Fund, The Icelandic Gender Equality Fund, European Research Council, and Icelandic Center for Research.
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