Sexual Harassment of Occupational Therapists in the Performance of Their Profession

This diploma thesis addresses the issue of sexual harassment in the context of occupational therapy perpetrated by patients and clients. The aim of the thesis is to identify the prevalence and forms of sexual harassment in occupational therapy practice and to gain a deeper understanding of how occupational therapists experience these situations, how they respond to them, and which strategies they use to cope, including their experiences with institutional support or its absence. The thesis is divided into a theoretical and an empirical part. The theoretical section defines key concepts related to sexual harassment, professional boundaries in helping professions, gender aspects of care, and specific features of occupational therapy. The empirical part employs a mixed-methods research design. The quantitative component maps the prevalence and types of sexual harassment in occupational therapy practice, while the qualitative component, using thematic analysis of interviews with occupational therapists, provides deeper insight into their lived experiences. The findings indicate that sexual harassment is a widespread and often normalized phenomenon in occupational therapy practice, shaped by professional specificities, gender expectations, and institutional settings. The final discussion situates the...