title: The Trauma of Sexual Harassment and its Mental Health Consequences Among Nurses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of sexual harassment in nurses and to observe its correlation with negative mental health (depression, anxiety and stress). Further to examine the role of sexual harassment as a predictor of negative mental health in nurses and to explore the differences in the experience of sexual harassment, depression, anxiety and stress between junior and senior nurses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Public Sector Hospitals in Lahore, from December 2011 to March 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  Asample of 200 nurses with age range 23 to 46 years was obtained. Assessment tools used in the study were Sexual Harassment Experience Questionnaire (SHEQ) by Kamal, and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) by Lovibond and Lovibond.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age of the nurses was 29.80 ±7.10 years. Among these 63% were married and 37% unmarried. The mean working experience of nurses was 13.7 ±3. 52 years and their mean monthly income was 27820 ±13687.32 rupees. Their working hours ranged from 8 to 16 hours (M = 8.32, SD = 2.12). The mean prevalence of sexual harassment was 71.66 ±19.01. A significant positive correlation of sexual harassment with depression, anxiety, stress and combined effect of them (DASS) was found. Multiple regression analysis showed sexual harassment as significant predictor of depression (β= 0.47, p < .001), anxiety (β= 0.43, p < .001) and stress (β= 0.45, p < .001) in nurses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sexual harassment was found to be a predictor of negative mental health in the form of depression, anxiety and stress in nurses of public hospitals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Psychology, Govt. M. A. O. College, Lahore.
authors.forename: Mamoona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mushtaq
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Psychology, Govt. M. A. O. College, Lahore.
authors.forename: Safia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sultana
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Psychology, Govt. M. A. O. College, Lahore.
authors.forename: Iqra
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Imtiaz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D010154:Pakistan; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D017406:Sexual Harassment / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult