Sexual Harassment in Higher Education Institutions Scale (SHHEIS)

Abstract

The Acoso Sexual en las Instituciones de Educación Superior Scale (ASIES), developed by Guarderas et al. in 2023, is a specialized psychometric tool designed for the assessment of sexual harassment within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ecuador. The scale comprises 21 items that comprehensively cover several dimensions, including sociodemographic information, health and personal repercussions of harassment, knowledge regarding institutional protection norms, and the core scale of sexual harassment behaviors.

The core scale measures four distinct types of harassment: verbal behaviors, non-verbal behaviors, physical behaviors, and behaviors involving coercion (or blackmail). The psychometric evaluation utilized a sample drawn from individuals who study or work in higher education centers across six Ecuadorian provinces. Both Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported a robust structure involving four first-order factors and a subsequent second-order factor model. Initial results demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and evidence of construct validity, though the authors noted that future research should incorporate analyses for convergence, discriminant, and stability validity.

Keywords

Sexual Harassment, Higher Education, Ecuador, Verbal Harassment, Nonverbal Harassment, Physical Harassment, Coercion, Blackmail, Psychometrics, Construct Validity.

Authors

Guarderas, Paz; de Lourdes Larrea, María; Moreta-Herrera, Rodrigo; Reyes-Valenzuela, Carlos; Vaca, Diego; Acosta, Daniela.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the ASIES is to rigorously evaluate the prevalence and specific types of behaviors related to sexual harassment experienced or witnessed within the university context of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

By assessing different dimensions—from specific behaviors (verbal, physical, non-verbal) to the personal and health repercussions experienced by victims—the scale provides institutional stakeholders with detailed data necessary for developing targeted prevention strategies, revising protective norms, and improving response protocols.

Construct

The ASIES scale measures the overarching construct of Sexual Harassment in Higher Education, conceptualized as a hierarchical construct composed of four specific sub-dimensions of harassing behaviors.

These four first-order factors represent distinct behavioral manifestations of harassment:

• Verbal Harassment: Behaviors involving sexually suggestive comments or offensive language.
• Non-verbal Harassment: Behaviors involving sexually suggestive gestures or leering.
• Physical Harassment: Behaviors involving unwanted physical contact or assault.
• Behaviors Involving Coercion: Actions that involve leveraging power or position to demand sexual favors (often referred to as Blackmail).

Validity

Initial validation efforts focused primarily on establishing the structural integrity and construct validity of the ASIES scale within the Ecuadorian sample. The results derived from the adjustment indices and factor loadings provided evidence supporting the scale’s ability to measure the intended underlying construct of sexual harassment.

Specifically, the Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed an excellent model fit for the proposed structure (4 first-order factors and 1 second-order factor), indicated by strong absolute adjustment indicators (CFI = .99, TLI = .99, SRMR = .075, and RMSEA = .018). The authors, however, explicitly stated that future psychometric work is required to establish convergence, discriminant, and stability validity.

Reliability

The reliability of the ASIES was evaluated using measures of internal consistency, utilizing McDonald’s omega coefficients, which are considered a robust alternative to Cronbach’s alpha, particularly for scales with varying factor structures.

The overall internal consistency for the entire ASIES scale was reported as strong, with a McDonald’s omega coefficient of 0.85. Reliability estimates for the individual factors showed variability: the coefficients ranged from 0.53 for the Nonverbal Harassment subscale to 0.76 for the Verbal Harassment subscale.

Factor Analysis

Both Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were employed to determine the underlying structure of the ASIES scale.

The initial Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) yielded a five-factor solution involving 16 items. While this solution was initially tested, it explained only approximately 33% of the total variance, leading the researchers to conclude that this model offered a low explanation of the variance and required further refinement.

The subsequent Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported the final, refined model: a hierarchical structure consisting of four correlated first-order factors (Verbal, Non-verbal, Physical, and Coercion behaviors) loading onto a single second-order factor representing the general construct of Sexual Harassment. The fit indices (CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.018) verified that this model demonstrated adequate adjustment and structural validity.

Instrument

Test Type: Original

Format: The ASIES utilizes a 5-point frequency scale to measure the occurrence of harassing behaviors. The response options are structured as follows: “Never” (0), “Before, but not in the last year” (1), “1-3 times in the last year” (2), “4-10 times in the last year” (3), and “More than 10 times in the last year” (4).

Language Available: English; Spanish

Population Group: Human; Male; Female

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older)

Population Details:

• Location: Ecuador
• Respondents: Students; Teachers; Administrative and Service Personnel within Higher Education Institutions.
• Sexual Orientations Reported: Heterosexual; Other Sexual Preferences.

Test Methodology: Test Validity; Construct Validity; Test Reliability; Internal Consistency; Factor Analysis; Confirmatory Factor Analysis; Exploratory Factor Analysis.

Keywords

Sexual Harassment, Higher Education, University Context, Psychometrics, Factor Structure, McDonald’s Omega, Ecuador, Verbal Harassment, Physical Harassment, Coercion.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not Available

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author

Fee: No

Test Year: 2023

Reference’s

Guarderas, P., Larrea, M. d. L., Moreta-Herrera, R., Reyes-Valenzuela, C., Vaca, D., & Acosta, D. (2023). Propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Acoso Sexual en las Instituciones de Educación Superior (ASIES) en una muestra ecuatoriana [Psychometric properties of the Acoso Sexual en las Instituciones de Educación Superior Scale (ASIES) in an Ecuadorian sample]. International Journal of Psychological Research, 16(1), 16–28.

Items of the Acoso Sexual en las Instituciones de Educación Superior Scale (ASIES)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

No data is Available