Design and Validation of the Cyber Sexual Harassment Scale-Professor Student

Abstract

Young adult females face alarming rates of sexual victimization, with a growing concern about cybersexual harassment in the digital age (prevalence ranging from 4.6% to 70% in university female students), depending on sexual harassment parameters evaluated, different methodologies used, or sample characteristics. However, no studies so far assessed the cybersexual harassment from professor to their students. Thus, we developed and validated the Cyber Sexual Harassment Scale-Professor Student (CSHS-PS) to assess virtual sexual harassment by professors towards their students. A sample of 1,249 participants aged 18–40 was used for exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The CSHS-PS demonstrated a two-factor structure, capturing “Unwanted Interaction” and “Sharing with Others.” Reliability and validity were confirmed, showing promise for assessing online sexual harassment in academia. This scale contributes to understanding and addressing this prevalent issue, especially among younger women, in educational settings, providing a valuable tool for research and practice.