Individual Difference Correlates of the Experience of Sexual Harassment Among Female University Students

Individuals often report experiences that conform to objective definitions of sexual harassment, but rarely report the subjective perception that they have been sexually harassed. The present research proposed that individual difference factors may mediate this commonly observed discrepancy. It was hypothesized that erotophobia, sexual inexperience, youth, sex role traditionality, repressing defensive style, and need for social approval have a weak inhibitory effect on reports of objectively defined experiences of sexual harassment, but a strong inhibitory effect on subjective perceptions that one has been sexually harassed. Results showed that individual difference factors including erotophobia, repressing defenses, and need for social approval were associated with fewer reported objective experiences of sexual harassment, while the base rate of subjective perception that one had been sexually harassed was very low, and this subjective perception was generally unassociated with individual difference factors. Discussion focuses on individual difference characteristics and motivation to ignore or to fail to report objective experiences of sexual harassment, and on suggestions for further research into the very high base rate of objectively defined experiences of sexual harassment and the very low base rate of perceived sexual harassment.