Our experiences can shape who we are and how we perceive things. The average employee in Ohio or elsewhere spends 40 hours a week in the workplace, so why wouldn’t a worker’s experience in the work environment impact them? Unfortunately, some employees have negative and sometimes traumatic experiences in the workplace. This can induce stress, causing the employee to suffer from mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.
Based on current studies, women who have suffered sexual harassment in the workplace are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, eating disorders and even post-traumatic stress disorder when compared to those that have not gone through this experience. This study also discovered that victims were more likely to resort to drinking or drugs as a coping mechanism.
Women are the likely victims of these incidents, but men are also victims. This study found that complaints filed by males rose by 15.3 percent. Nonetheless, the vast majority of complaints are still filed by females.
Although women are not the only victims of sexual harassment in the workplace, the study found that male victims do not have the same anxiety-provoking response like female victims do. So what does this mean for female victims? This means that her mental health is likely compromised. This could cause the victim to be unable to work or require medical treatment.
If a mental illness or any type of illness stems from the workplace, it is important that employees understand their rights and options in the matter. It might be possible to seek workers’ compensation. The benefits from this claim could result in financial assistance to help offset losses, such as medical bills, therapy, pain and suffering, lost wages and other related damages.
Source: The Economic Times, “Sexual harassment at work ups risk of anxiety, depression in women,” Nov. 18, 2017