Validation of Lund University Sexual Harassment Inventory (LUSHI)—A Proposed Instrument for Assessing Sexual Harassment among University Employees and Students

Per-Olof Östergren (), Catarina Canivet, Gisela Priebe and Anette Agardh
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Per-Olof Östergren: Division of Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
Catarina Canivet: Division of Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
Gisela Priebe: Department of Social and Psychological Studies, Karlstad University, 651 88 Karlstad, Sweden
Anette Agardh: Division of Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-13

Abstract: The objective was to investigate the validity and reliability of a new instrument assessing sexual harassment at a public university in Sweden. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions resulted in a 10-item instrument, the ‘Lund University Sexual Harassment Inventory’ (LUSHI). A survey was sent to all staff, including PhD students, and students, with a response rate of 33% ( n = 2736) and 32% ( n = 9667), respectively. Exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha statistics were applied. Having experienced one or more of 10 specific behaviors was defined as sexual harassment exposure and was reported by 17.1% of staff/PhD students and 21.1% of students. Exploratory factor analysis yielded two factors with Eigenvalues above 1, labeled ‘unwanted sexual attention of soliciting type’ and ‘unwanted sexual attention of non-soliciting type’. Rape/attempted rape fell outside of the two factors. The Cronbach’s alpha values of the original 10-item scale and of the two newly formed scales were 0.80, 0.80, and 0.66, respectively. The mentioned statistics were markedly similar among men, women, and non-binary individuals and between staff/PhD students and students. We conclude that the 10-item instrument could be used for assessing sexual harassment in university settings or any type of workplace.

Keywords: sexual harassment; occupational health; student health; gender and health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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