Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39969584›Full record

ArticleGlobal health action2025

Workplace sexual harassment is associated with poor mental well-being among employees at a large Swedish university.

Frida Pilgaard, Per-Olof Östergren, Gisela Priebe, Anette Agardh

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Global health action, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Frida PilgaardDivision of Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-6280-7753
Per-Olof ÖstergrenDivision of Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-7903-6668
Gisela PriebeDivision of Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0001-8386-8881
Anette AgardhDivision of Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-1879-7244

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSexual harassment (SH) is a persistent problem at workplaces around the world, including academia.

objectiveThis study examines the association between SH and mental well-being among employees at Lund University (LU) in Sweden.

methodsData was obtained from a cross-sectional survey targeting all LU employees in 2019. SH exposure was measured using a ten-item scale capturing SH experiences and enabling the differentiation between soliciting and non-soliciting types of SH. Validated instruments were used to measure two aspects of mental well-being; mental health (GHQ-12) and vitality (SF-36 vitality scale). Association between SH exposure and outcome variables was investigated through multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusting for confounders. Modifying effects of gender, age, background and academic position, respectively, on the relation between SH and outcomes were studied.

resultsWorkplace SH was associated with poor mental health (PMH) (OR 1.5 (95% CI 1.1-2.0)) and low vitality (LV) (OR 1.8 (95% CI 1.3-2.5)) among women and with LV (OR 2.0 (95% CI 1.1-3.9)) among men, after adjusting for confounders. Among women, experiences of non-soliciting and soliciting SH combined were associated with PMH and LV. Among men, experiences of non-soliciting SH behaviours exclusively were associated with LV. Indications of synergistic interaction affecting the association between SH and LV were found related to age, background and academic position, but not gender.

conclusionsWorkplace SH is a significant risk factor for poor mental well-being, primarily among female, but also among male university employees. These findings can inform local policies for prevention of SH.

Indexed as

Mental HealthSexual HarassmentWorkplaceAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSex FactorsSurveys and QuestionnairesSwedenUniversitiesYoung Adultacademiamental healthmental well-beingSexual harassmentvitality

Identifiers

PMID39969584
PMCPMC11841154

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.