Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Sexual Harassment On Depressive Symptoms During The Early Occupational Career, Jason N. Houle, Jeremy Staff, Jeylan T. Mortimer, Christopher Uggen, Amy M. Blackstone

Sociology School Faculty Scholarship

Sexual harassment has been theorized as a stressor with consequences for the physical and mental health of its targets. Although social scientists have documented a negative association between sexual harassment and mental health, few longitudinal studies have investigated the association between sexual harassment and depressive symptoms. Using longitudinal survey data from the Youth Development Study, combined with in-depth interviews, this article draws on Louise Fitzgerald’s theoretical framework, stress theory, and the life course perspective to assess the impact of sexual harassment on depressive affect during the early occupational career. In support of Fitzgerald’s model, the authors’ findings confirm that sexual …