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Stranger Harassment Index
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About Stranger Harassment Index
Scale Name
Stranger Harassment Index
Author Details
Kimberly M. Fairchild
Translation Availability
Not Sure
Background/Description
The Stranger Harassment Index (SHI) emerged in 2008 as a critical tool for measuring unwanted sexual attention experienced by individuals, primarily women, in public places. Psychologists Kimberly M. Fairchild and A. Gary Rudman recognized the need for a reliable and valid way to quantify this pervasive yet often unspoken issue.
Driven by this need, they developed the SHI, a two-pronged scale assessing both verbal and physical forms of harassment. The eight-item “verbal harassment” subscale delves into experiences like catcalling, whistling, offensive remarks, and staring, while the seven-item “sexual pressure” subscale captures more explicit forms like unwelcome touching, groping, following, and coercion. Each item is rated on a frequency scale, allowing researchers and individuals to gauge the severity and pervasiveness of these experiences.
The SHI’s significance lies in its ability to bring data-driven clarity to a previously understudied realm. By providing a standardized measure, it has empowered numerous research studies to investigate the prevalence and consequences of stranger harassment. From uncovering a strong link to mental health issues like anxiety and depression to highlighting its impact on freedom of movement and public safety, the SHI has fueled efforts to understand and address this widespread form of gender-based violence.
In conclusion, the Stranger Harassment Index stands as a vital tool for quantifying and shedding light on unwanted sexual attention in public spaces. It has empowered research, informed policy, and amplified the voices of those who have faced this persistent challenge. The SHI’s ongoing use ensures continued progress in understanding and ultimately preventing this prevalent form of harassment.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Instructions: Provide clear instructions on how to fill out the questionnaire, emphasizing confidentiality and honest responses.
- Self-report format: The SHI is typically self-administered, meaning participants read each item and answer on a scale (usually 1-5) indicating the frequency of their experience.
- Clarification requests: Address any questions participants might have about the items or the scale used.
- Anonymity and confidentiality: Assure participants their responses will remain anonymous and confidential to the extent possible.
Reliability and Validity
The Stranger Harassment Index (SHI) has become a widely used tool in research on sexual harassment and gender-based violence. Its strengths lie in its reliability and validity, which allow researchers to confidently use it to measure unwanted sexual attention experienced by individuals in public spaces.
Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of a measure. In the case of the SHI, it means that if someone takes the test multiple times under similar conditions, they should get the same or very similar results. The SHI demonstrates good internal consistency reliability, meaning the items within each subscale (verbal harassment and sexual pressure) are highly correlated and measure the same underlying construct. Studies have reported Cronbach’s alpha values exceeding 0.80 for both subscales, indicating strong internal consistency.
Validity refers to the extent to which a measure actually measures what it is supposed to measure. The SHI has been evaluated in several ways to assess its validity:
- Content validity: Experts in the field of sexual harassment and gender-based violence have reviewed the SHI items and confirmed that they adequately capture the range of experiences relevant to the construct.
- Construct validity: The SHI has been shown to correlate with other measures of sexual harassment and gender-based violence, as well as with measures of psychological distress and reduced quality of life, supporting its validity as a measure of unwanted sexual attention.
- Criterion validity: The SHI has been shown to differentiate between groups that are expected to have different experiences with harassment, such as women and men, or those who live in different types of communities.
Available Versions
Stranger Harassment Index – Experiences 09-Items
Stranger Harassment Index – Frequency 09-Items
Coping with Stranger Harassment 21-Items
Reference
Fairchild, K. M., & Rudman, A. G. (2008). The Stranger Harassment Index: Measuring sexual harassment experiences of women in public places. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(10), 1102-1126.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Stranger Harassment Index?
The SHI is a tool used to measure unwanted sexual attention experienced by individuals, primarily women, in public places. It was developed by psychologists Kimberly M. Fairchild and A. Gary Rudman in 2008.
What does the SHI measure?
The SHI has two subscales: verbal harassment (catcalling, whistling, offensive remarks) and sexual pressure (unwanted touching, groping, following, coercion). Each subscale uses a scale to assess the frequency and severity of these experiences.
Who uses the SHI?
The SHI is used by researchers, policymakers, and advocates who are working to understand and address the issue of sexual harassment and gender-based violence.
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