Ife PsychologIA; Volume 20 Number1, March 2012 Copyright 2012 Ife Center for Psychological Studies/Services, Ile-Ife Nigeria.

THE ROLES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND PERSONALITY TRAIT TYPES ON SEXUAL RESPONSE AMONG NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATES
1Ugokwe-Ossai,

R.N. Ph. D; 1Ezeokana, Jude Ph.D; & 2Ucheagwu Valentine, A. 1Department of Psychology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka 2Clinical Psychology Unit, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi.

Abstract The study examined the roles of sexual harassment and personality trait types on sexual responses among university undergraduates. 100 participants (50 sexually harassed and 50 controlled) matched on the bases of age and gender were used for the study. Their M age was 24.68 with SD age of 3.48. A demographic instrument eliciting sexual harassment experience, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) Adult, by Eysenck and Eysenck (1975) and the Sexual Anxiety Inventory (SAI) by Hoon and Chambless were the instruments used. Ex-post facto matched group design was used while Repeated ANOVA measures was used in data analysis. The result of the study showed significant difference of personality type on sexual dysfunction, F (2,196)=65.89 (Mean. Psychoticism = 65.74, Extroversion = 31.87, Neuroticism = 61.99). However no difference was seen on sexual harassment and sexual anxiety. Significant interaction effect was also seen on sexual harassment and personality types on sexual dysfunction. The findings of the study implicated educational and social interactions as pathways through which sexual abuse can result in sexual anxiety. Introduction Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical factors that determine his unique adjustment to the environment (Allport, 1937). Thus, personality
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studies, the totality of the individual behaviour and how he organizes his world, lives his world and adjusts with future consequences of his behaviours. Schools of thoughts abound about the nature, origin, and cause or formations of personality. Trait theorists believe that personality is an inherent factor that cannot be changed. Behavioural theorists maintained that personality is learned. The learning school of thought believe that learning begins from childhood till death and once learned, the person utilizes what he has learnt. As such, as personality is a learned factor, it can as well be unlearned by the individual concerned. Sexual harassment/abuse on the other hand is an assault on ones sexual values. It can come in various manner ranging from physical attack as in rape, verbal abuse, unintentional exposure to love making scenes, and pornography, going nudes before a person etc. some people were sexually harassed as children, while others at their adolescent stages and others yet at the adult age. This study therefore had sought to examine the roles sexual harassment and personality play on sexual responses. Sexual response in the study is the degree of anxiety one has in association with sexual activities, sexual behaviours and practices. A lot of studies had been done on sexual abuse and sexual dysfunction with some favouring the null hypothesis (Sarver, Crawford and Durlark, 1997), while others rejecting the null hypothesis. Human sexuality is an important and vital area of human functioning. Problems emanating from this area can lead to other varied areas of psychological malfunctioning as in depression, marital dysfunction, anxiety etc. However mixed research results had traded the flour of this area of research that it becomes imperative that people should err on the side of caution. Sexual dysfunction and its treatment had met varied etiologies and treatments. Some of them had emotional undertone attached to it. It becomes necessary that more research on it should be carried out with varied areas of independent variables that might play their roles on the formation and maintenance of sexual responses. Furthermore, literatures in Nigeria are very sparse on this issue. It becomes essential that scholars should increase researches in sexual responses as to improve its assessment and treatment. As such, the major aims of this study included the following; (i) To determine the roie of sexual harassment on sexual response/dysfunction. (ii) To determine the role of personality traits on sexual response.

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(iii)

To determine the interaction of sexual harassment and personality on sexual response. The study will be of help to counselors who see clients with sexual abuse, counselors and therapists that deal on sexual related dysfunctions and people that need to widen their horizon of knowledge in sexuality. The study too will add to body of knowledge in Nigeria on sexual studies. Research Question The following questions were addressed in the study; (i) Do sexual harassment play a role on sexual dysfunction? (ii) Will personality trait(s) play a role(s) on sexual dysfunction? (iii) Will there be interaction of sexual harassment and personality traits on sexual dysfunction/response? Empirical Review Sarver, Crawford and Durlak (1997) studied the relationship between Childhood sexual abuse and adult male sexual dysfunction. In addition the investigation compared sexually abused men and women on the characteristics of sexual abuse. 359 men who sought sexual dysfunction treatment were used for the study. Thirty men reported a history of sexual abuse. Characteristics of the sexual abuse experienced by these men also were compared to the sexual abuse experienced by 73 women initially investigated elsewhere (Sarver and Ourtale, 1997). Sexual abuse in the result was found not to predict sexual dysfunction in these men. Rather unemployment served as the only significant predictor of male sexual dysfunction. Comparison of the sexual abuse reported by male and female victims indicated that males were more likely to experience physical force, but were, less likely than female victims to be abused more than once and to be abused by an adult. Thus, the result support the notion that childhood sexual abuse may not be as disruptive to adult sexual functioning in men as it is in women. The difference may be a function of specific circumstances of the sexual abuse. Mclean and Gallop (2003) examined whether women with a history of early onset sexual abuse or those with late onset sexual abuse were more likely to meet diagnostic criteria for both borderline personality disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder. The revised diagnostic interview for Borderline and the Trauma Assessment package were administered to 65 women from three outpatient clinics in a
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metropolitan area. 38 participants did meet criteria for early onset abuse, while 27 participants meet criteria for late onset abuse. The result showed that the diagnoses of both borderline personality disorder and complex PTSD were significantly higher in women reporting early onset abuse than in those with late onset abuse. The trauma variables, sexual abuse and paternal incest were significant predictors of both diagnoses. In conclusion, the authors maintained that in contrast to those with co morbid diagnoses, some women with a history of childhood sexual abuse may be excluded from the diagnoses of borderline personality disorder and subsumed under that of complex PTSD. Shearer, Peters, Quaytman and Ogden (1990) in their study of frequency and correlates of childhood sexual and physical abuse histories in adults females of borderline patients found that suspected complex partial seizure, eating and substance abuse disorders were over represented among the 40% (N=16) of female borderline inpatients who reported a history of sexual abuse. Early family disruption, more frequent hospital admission and concomitant antisocial, personality disorder were over represented among those who reported past physical abuse. The literatures were all pointing to the fact that sexual abuse more in early stages of life are very likely predictors of borderline abnormal behavour. However, it must be observed that non inclusion of the personality trait of participants were major limitations of these studies. Premorbid personality traits of an individual constitutes major predisposing factor in development of behavioural problems. Thus a well integrated person can withstand brain damage more than an immature, otherwise psychologically handicapped person (Coleman, Butcher and Carson, 1984). Method Participants One hundred participants were used for the study. 88 of the participants were females while 12 were males. Their ages ranged between 19 to 30 years with mean age of 24.68 and SD age of 3.48. The participants were got from the population of undergraduate university students in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. 50 of the participants from the sample population reported having being physically sexually harassed. It has on the basis of those fifty participants that a matched control of fifty was provided. The participants were matched basically on age and gender status.

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Instrument Two questionnaire instruments were used for the study. They included the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Adult (EPQ) and Sexual Anxiety Inventory (SAI). The instruments were accompanied by a demographic data that included questions about history of sexual harassment. The EPQ was developed by Eysenck and Eysenck (1975) to measure personality. This was the fourth version of the series of personality inventories that Eysenck has been developing and modifying since 1952. EPQ (Adult) consisted of 90 items designed to measure four aspects of personality coded PENL: P= Psychoticism measures extent of an individuals tough mindedness. E= Extraversion measures the extent of an individual social interaction with other people. N= Neuroticism measures the extent of an individuals emotionality. L= Lie is a measure of the extent to which a client has responded truthfully, to the other EPQ items. Eysenck and Eysenck (1975) provided the original norms for English samples while the norms for Nigeria samples were provided by Eysenck, Adelaja and Eysenck (1978). Eysenck, Adelaja and Eysenck (1978) provided the alpha coefficient of reliability of EPQ (Adult) for Nigeria samples while Eysenck and Eysenck provided the test retest reliability coefficient of EPQ (Adults) for samples of English university students. The coefficient of divergent validity reported by Eysenck and Eysenck (1975) between EPQ and Progressive Matrices Intelligence test was expected low and not significant a P=.05,: P = .25, E=.00, N=-.05, L=-35. The SAI was developed by Hoon and Chambless (1986) to measure clinical anxiety associated with sexual relationships and also as an indication of sexual dysfunction. The 28 item inventory was designed to measure two sexual relationship conditions. The inventory therefore, exists in two forms whose items were exactly the same, but instructions for the two forms were different. Hoon and Chambless (1986) provided the original psychometric properties for American sample while Nwobi (1998) provided the properties for Nigerian samples. Nwobi (1998) obtained concurrent validity coefficient of -.20, .16, .13 and .24 by correlating SAI with Index of Sexual Satisfaction (Hudson,1982), State Trait Anxiety Inventory forms Y-1 and Y-2 (Spilberger, Grouch and Lushene, 1983) and the anxiety subscale of SCL-90 (Derogatis, Lipman and Covy 1977), respectively.
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Procedure The researcher distributed the questionnaire instruments using incidental sampling to students in the faculty of social sciences. The respondents had the option of taking the instruments home to responds or to respond immediately. Over 300 questionnaire were distributed while only 100 were used. The hundred used was on the basis of matching technique used to counter balance the 50 participants that reported having been physically sexually harassed. DESIGN AND STATISTICS A survey research design was used for the study while Anova and Anova repeated measures were used in analysis of the data. Result The result of the study showed no significant difference of sexual harassment on sexual anxiety. However significant difference was observed on personality types and sexual anxiety at p<.05, while significant interaction of personality and sexual harassment on sexual anxiety was observed at p<.01 level of testing. The table below summarized the results of the study. Table 1: Summary Table of Means of Personality Types on Sexual Anxiety
Personality Psychoticism Extroversion Neurotlcism Mea ns 65,74 31.87 61.99 Std 3.42 4.41 3.34

Table 2: Summary table of Repeated Measures of Personality and Sexual Harassment on Sexual Anxiety
Source Personality SS 71839.04 df 2 MS 35919.52 F 65.89*

Sexual Harassment (SH) Personality SH Error Personality Error SH

1098.11 3115.64 106835.20 273681.90

1 2 196 98

1098.11 1557.82 545.08 2792.67

0.39 2.86**

a= Between subject effect *=Significant at p< .05 level **=Significant at p< .01 level

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FIG 1: PLOT OF INTERACTION OF PERSONALITY AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT

70

2
2
70 SH 1

60

50

40

30

20

Personality: SH; 1 = Sexually Harassed 2 = Non Sexually Harassed

Personality; 1 = psychoticism 2 = Extroversion 3 = Neuroticism

Discussion and Conclusion This section discussed the findings of the study. Personality type(s) showed significant differences on sexual anxiety among the participants. The result showed that psychoticism and neuroticism as personality types, showed higher sexual anxieties in their sexual behaviours and practices. However extroversion
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personality trait showed low sexual anxiety. Therefore, it appears that among the three conditions repeatedly measured, the tough mindedness and emotionality conditions were the two main conditions to affect sexual responses. Extent of social interactions do not affect sexual responses. It becomes necessary that subsequent researches will focus on the effective polarities if the two conditions. The reasons why being tough minded and neuroticism personality affect sexual anxiety is of critical importance towards understanding sexual behaviour and the two personalities as well. It could be explained that psychoticism and neuroticism are personality traits that emphasises on an individual sado masochism and feelings respectively. As such, they do not involve mutual interactions of an individual with the other. In essence, sexual relationship is the complete opposite of the meanings of the two personalities. It involves sharing in anothers own body and implying thus life uniting act. This could explain why extraversion which is the extent of an individual social interactions could play more positive role in sexual activities. On the other hand, no significant difference was seen between those that were sexually harassed and those that were not. This result was in partial line of agreement with Sarwer, Crawford and Duriak (1997) study of childhood sexual abuse and male sexual dysfunction. According to the authors, sexual abuse was not found to predict sexual dysfunction in men, rather unemployment served as the only significant predictor of male sexual dysfunction. On the other hand, significant interaction was found between personality and sexual harassment on sexual anxiety. The plot of the graph showed that sexual harassment interacted significantly on the side of the extroversion personality than on the other personality types. In essence, sexual harassment would increase negative sexual response among those in extroversion condition. It appears then to be that sexual harassment hampers an individuals social interaction level and therefore precipitate him to sexual anxiety. This may be likened to the new view assessment hypothesis of childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual problems (Hall, 2008). According to the hypothesis, there are numerous pathways by which child sexual abuse (CSA) can lead to sexual dissatisfaction in adulthood. Thus, not the sexual abuse but certain other factors interacting with that may create adult sexual problems. In addition to the pathways outlined by learning theory and trauma formulations, the new view adds several important and hitherto neglected path. Anxiety about being normal or living up to perceived cultural standards, power imbalance in the sexual relationship, stress (because of the consequences of low
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socioeconomic status), and limited access to both quality health care and sexual information (Hall 2008). Therefore, assessment of both sexual difficulties and treatment must address these kinds of economic, and social factors. In addition the relational factors as exemplified in this study should also be a source of focus. Conclusion This study had shown social and relational factors as a pathway through which sexual abuse can result in sexual anxiety and problem. However, sexual harassment on its own does not influence sexual anxiety. On the other hand, individuals with psychoticism and neuroticism personality types showed high sexual anxiety than those with extroversion personality. Further studies are need to determine the polarities of the too subscales (Psychoticism and neuroticism) respectively that were susceptible to sexual anxieties.

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