Street Harassment and Psychological Distress Among Pakistani Women: Assertiveness as a Moderator

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the relationship between street harassment and psychological distress, with assertiveness as a moderator, among Pakistani women to address an important gap in the existing literature. The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional correlational research design and a purposive sampling technique to collect data from Pakistani women aged 18 to 40 years who had a minimum educational qualification of intermediate. Three instruments were administered: the Mexican Sexual Street Harassment Questionnaire, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and the Simple Version of the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (SV-RAS). The findings revealed significant negative associations between assertiveness and street harassment, as well as between assertiveness and psychological distress. In contrast, street harassment was positively associated with psychological distress. Moderation analysis indicated a significant moderating role of assertiveness, such that higher levels of assertiveness weakened the positive relationship between street harassment and psychological distress, suggesting that assertiveness serves as a protective factor against the adverse psychological effects of street harassment. The study addresses an important gap in research conducted within the Pakistani cultural context and highlights the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.