Workplace harassment patterning, gender, and utilization of professional services: Findings from a US national study

This study constitutes the first national longitudinal survey to address the relationship between workplace harassment and service utilization. We examine how patterns of sexual harassment and generalized workplace harassment are linked to utilization of mental health, health, legal, spiritual, and work-related services, and whether and how gender influences these relationships. Data derive from a random digit dial telephone survey with a continental US sample of employed adults. Eligibility criteria were being 18 years of age or over, and being employed at least 20 h per week at some time in the 12 months prior to the wave 1 survey. Out of 4116 households with eligible individuals, 2151 agreed to participate at wave 1. At wave 2, 1418 participated, thus, the overall response rate was 34.5%. We show that the patterning of workplace harassment over two time points (chronic, remission, onset, never harassed) is associated with the use of different types of services. Gender partially moderated the relationship between workplace harassment and services.