Sexual harassment in Greece : association with personality and body image among men and women

The current study examines the extent of self-reported sexual harassment in Greece and its association with personality and body image. Participants were 180 Greek undergraduate students (101 women and 79 men). All completed a measure of sexual harassment, a measure of body dissatisfaction and the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP: Goldberg, 1999). It was predicted that more women than men would report sexual harassment, including 'extreme' sexual harassment; that victims of both sexes would report more dissatisfaction with body image; and that personality would be associated with victimisation. Women reported more harassment than men (84 percent versus 62 percent). Women were more likely to report being harassed by men, whereas victimised men more likely to report harassment by women. Victims of harassment overall, regardless of sex, were more likely than non-victims to report dissatisfaction with body image. Significant sex differences were restricted only to one component of body dissatisfaction. Victims overall presented as more extravert, with women victims as more emotionally unstable than victimized men. Regression analyses indicated that predictors for male victims of sexual harassment were less clear overall. The results are discussed in relation to their association with the previous literature and implications for further study.