Sexual Harassment and the Risk of Chronic Disease in a Prospective Cohort Study

In a sample of university employees, we use longitudinal data to examine long-term ef-fects of sexual harassment in the workplace on incidence of chronic disease. We also ex-plore drinking and depression as possible confounding or intervening factors. Propor-tional hazards multiple regression is used to predict incidence of first chronic disease across 23 years of folowup base don experience of sexual harassment. Effects of harass-ment as well as other factors (depression, drinking) are considered as fixed at baseline and also as time-dependent covariates. Higher scores on reported sexual harassment in the workplace at baseline of the study are predictive of chronic disease incidence over the next 23 years (HR=1.038, p=.0133). The effect is only somewhat attenuated adjusting for de-pression at baseline and alcohol intake throughout followup (HR=1.031, p=.0475). Expe-rience of sexual harassment in the workplace is significantly associated with an elevated risk of chronic disease for years to come. Significant independent effects of depression at baseline and drinking throughout followup do not account for the effects of sexual har-assment at baseline.