Assessment of workplace sexual harassment in an Arab setting: Reliability and Validity of the Lund Sexual Harassment Inventory among Arabic-speaking workers
摘要
Despite its growing importance, workplace sexual harassment (WSH) in Lebanon remains an under-researched and under-reported issue due to numerous barriers. The lack in the literature of an adapted assessment tool complicates efforts to identifying effective interventions and monitoring WSH in these contexts. This study aims to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the Lund Sexual Harassment Inventory (LSHI) among Arabic-speaking employees.
MethodsUsing a snowball sampling method, 650 Arabic-speaking workers from various organizations across Lebanon participated in this cross-sectional study conducted between November and December 2023. The online survey included the LSHI to assess exposure to sexual harassment, along with additional scales to measure work engagement, job satisfaction, psychological distress, and well-being.
ResultsThe results showed that the scale presented excellent internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.83–0.91), provided evidence supporting its two-factor structure, and had no difference between males and females. For the concurrent validity, sexual harassment was found to be negatively associated with work engagement, job satisfaction, and well-being, while showing a positive association with psychological distress.
ConclusionOur findings offer strong support for the implementation of the Arabic version of the scale in identifying sexual harassment among Arabic-speaking workers. This tool has the potential to aid in the early detection and management of such issues in Arab workplaces while also encouraging more cross-cultural research on this important topic.
Policy ImplicationsOrganizations can rely on the LSHI to identify and address workplace sexual harassment, inform policy development, and evaluate the effectiveness of anti-harassment intervention programs.