Impact of past mental and physical harassments on undergraduates of University of Kelaniya

Abstract

Harassment is any physical, verbal, written, or otherwise unwanted, unwelcome behavior that may offend or humiliate an individual. Discriminatory harassment, physical harassment, mental harassment, psychological harassment, sexual harassment, etc., are frequently experienced worldwide, and these are related to adverse physical and mental health outcomes and injuries. The existing state of knowledge on this topic is that these incidents are prevalent even though no one has been able to pay much attention to such incidents. As a result, harassment increases gradually, and society has not enforced directive laws and punishments against those who commit such offences. Our objective was to determine the impact of past mental and physical harassment on undergraduates of the Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya. This study considers the most impacted scenarios and the discomforts undergraduates have gone through since childhood. From the results of a pilot study, a sample of 342 undergraduates from the faculty of science have undergone a survey. The study uses a stratified sampling method, and the level/ academic year of study is considered as strata. Major discomforts and aftereffects such as stress, anxiety, sleeping disorders, sexual malfunctions, weight loss, mental retardation, etc., of more specific harassments were analysed here. There is an equal proportion of participation in both males and females. The descriptive study shows how the respondents were impacted: physically, mentally or both. The way they reacted to the discomfort, to whom they were informed, and how much time has been taken for the action are discussed here. Major afflictions came out to be bullying, gender discrimination, cyberbullying, sexual abuse and racial/religious discrimination. Highest impacted discomfort has been experienced severely by most females but mildly by most males. The categorical analysis gave a relative risk of 1.121 to 2.247 on the female being more likely to encounter an aftereffect from discomforts. Experiencing severe cases is higher for females than males. The odds of a female encountering sexual abuse are about three times more likely than a male. Further, chi-square tests revealed aftereffect is independent of gender, but aftereffect and the discomfort types are significantly associated. Ratings (mild, moderate, severe) are associated with the discomfort type. The study identifies that there is an equivalent experience of harassment no matter what gender they belong to, but females have a higher tendency to get harassed. Consequently, the severity of the incident is higher for females than males. Further studies can be conducted to determine actions to reduce the aftermath, find cures and enlighten society about how to avoid discomfort.