Perception and Actual Experiences of Sexual Harassment in Clinical Placement among Physical Therapy College Students

Purpose: This study examined the level of self-esteem and awareness of sexual harassment among college students majoring in physical therapy to discover the status of sexual harassment and the types of and responses to sexual harassment at clinical training sites. Methods: The study participants included 195 college students majoring in physical therapy in Gyeonggi and Chungcheong provinces, who responded fully to the survey questionnaire. The data were prepared through self-reporting on a structured questionnaire and collected from September to November 2018. Results: The difference in the mean value of self-esteem was evident between the two groups investigated. The most common types of sexual harassment were verbal, visual, and physical. The types of damage reported by the participants were emotional, physical, and social. The group of participants who experienced sexual harassment had a high rate of avoidance, while the group of participants who did not experience sexual harassment exhibited a high rate of coping. Conclusion: The incidence of verbal sexual harassment was reported to be significantly higher, and the emotional damage was the most serious. Students should be provided with more specific and realistic preventive education or countermeasures so they can respond more proactively to real situations.