The Impact of Leadership Responses to Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination Reports on Emotional Distress and Retention Intentions in Military Members

Reporting instances of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace is an integral part of the prevention and response efforts of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). Any military member who comes forward to report their experience should be provided appropriate intervention, support, and restorative care. While much research has focused on prevention efforts and encouraging reporting, few researchers have systematically examined what happens when military members come forward. In the military, leaders (the chain of command) are primarily responsible for receiving and investigating reports of potential sex-based military equal opportunity violations (SBMEO) involving sexual harassment or gender discrimination. This study used results from the congressionally-mandated 2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members (2016 WGRA) to identify military members who indicated experiencing a potential SBMEO violation and reported to their chain of command (n = 3,982) in order to examine the relationships among the actions as a result of reporting, reporting satisfaction, emotional distress, and retention intentions. Findings revealed experiencing positive actions as a result of reporting was associated with increased satisfaction with reporting, which in turn, was associated with decreased emotional distress and increased retention intentions. Conversely, experiencing negative actions as a result of reporting was associated with decreased satisfaction with reporting, increased emotional distress, and decreased retention intentions. These findings highlight the crucial role military leaders serve in supporting those who come forward in mitigating potential negative outcomes associated with SBMEO violations that could impact military readiness.