Development of a scale measuring online sexual harassment: Examining gender differences and the emotional impact of sexual harassment victimization online

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to outline the construct of online sexual harassment (OSH) to ensure its accurate measurement and to develop a tool to measure OSH victimization in adults. Secondary aims were to explore potential gender differences in victimization and the emotional impact of OSH. Methods: A systematic process was used to develop The Online Sexual Harassment Scale (OSHS) to measure OSH victimization. This included a systematic review of current literature, content analysis of online posts from the Everyday Sexism Website, exploratory factor analysis of a pilot scale, then a subsequent confirmatory factor analysis to confirm scale items, structure and ensure scale reliability. Finally, an online survey using the OSHS explored the emotional impact of OSH. Results: Two types of OSH, gender harassment and unwanted sexual attention were identified. The OSHS reliably measured both types of harassment, ω =.95. The most frequent type of OSH found for male and female participants was unwanted sexual attention. Univariate analysis found that females (M = 0.83) experienced significantly higher levels of OSH than males (M = 0.56). Further analysis found that the emotional impact of OSH was significantly more upsetting for females for both types of OSH. Conclusions: This study contributes a valid a reliable way to measure OSH in adult victims. The development of the OSHS would benefit from further testing using a larger and more diverse sample, which should include non-student populations.