The Effect of Sexual Harassment Experience on Self-esteem and Clinical Competence among Nursing Students in Clinical Practice

Abstract

This study aims to identify the effect of sexual harassment experiences of nursing students in clinical practice on their self-esteem and clinical competence. The survey data were collected from 319 nursing students in grade 3 and 4 enrolled in three universities located in G province of South Korea, and analyzed by descriptive statistical analysis, t-test and correlation analysis. The results show that 72.7% of nursing students experienced sexual harassment mostly from patients (74.9%) at general ward (64.9%). It is also found that, when experiencing harassment, they sought help from a nurse or head nurse and wanted the hospital to get involved to resolve the issue. A positive correlation was found between their experience with sexual harassment and their self-esteem and clinical competence. This study has contribution on providing basic information that can be used to create a safe nursing practice environment through prevention and protection measures against sexual harassment during clinical practice.