An empirical examination of sexual harassment and Stockholm syndrome in relation to essential and non-essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT As COVID-19 spread and organisations shut down, many workers continued working through adverse conditions. This study appropriates Stockholm syndrome to highlight privilege and power differentials between essential and non-essential workers during the pandemic. One hundred and twelve U.S. workers (Mage = 35.91, 50.9% female, 49% essential workers, Mhours worked per week  = 48.11) completed an online survey during the height of national lockdowns (April to June of 2020). Results of correlations and a one-way multivariate analysis of variance suggest that Stockholm syndrome and sexual harassment are strongly related and that essential workers scored higher on both Stockholm syndrome and sexual harrassment than non-essential workers. The present study supports Stockholm syndrome as a framework for studying workplace injustice and contributes to novel literature regarding how the pandemic has exacerbated social inequities. Practical implications draw from existing literature on sexual harrassment and demonstrate the need for awareness of worker mistreatment during challenging times.