Sexual coercion and harassment of students with disabilities in tertiary institutions: A systematic review

Edward Kwabena AMEYAW; Fred Yao GBAGBO; Padmore Adusei AMOAH; Gifty Nana Yaa ROCKSON; Frank QUANSAH; Richard Osei AGJEI

doi:10.1177/22799036261451535

Sexual coercion and harassment of students with disabilities in tertiary institutions: A systematic review

Edward Kwabena AMEYAW
, Fred Yao GBAGBO^*
, Padmore Adusei AMOAH
, Gifty Nana Yaa ROCKSON
, Frank QUANSAH
, Richard Osei AGJEI

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications › Journal Article (refereed) › peer-review

Abstract

Introduction: This study reviews existing scientific publications on sexual harassment and coercion of students with disabilities in tertiary institutions, a significant global public health and human rights concern.

Methods: The review was guided by the PRISMA guidelines whilst the protocol was registered with PROSPERO. Six main databases were searched in addition to supplementary search from other sources. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), Dixon-Woods et al. tool and the Quality Assessment for Diverse Studies (QuADS) tools were used to assess the quality of the studies. Two authors extracted the data, with the third author checking for bias risks. The studies were narratively synthesised where key variables such as the prevalence of sexual harassment and coercion were critically analysed.

Results: Out of the 4,968 articles retrieved, 5 were included in the review. The findings revealed that students with disabilities have an increased propensity for sexual coercion/harassment relative to those with no disabilities. The prevalence of sexual harassment/coercion ranged from 10.49% (out of5,319 students) to 85% (51 out of 60 students) across the studies, with perpetrators mainly being fellow students and faculty/administrative staff. Lack of understanding and awareness of existing institutional policies and support systems regarding sexual harassment/coercion were key contributing factors.

Conclusion: Since sexual harassment perpetuates inequality and undermines progress towards Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth),and 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), students with disabilities should be involved in policy development to combat sexual misconduct in tertiary institutions.

Original language	English
Number of pages	12
Journal	Journal of Public Health Research
Volume	15
Issue number	2
Early online date	13 May 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/22799036261451535
Publication status	Published - Jun 2026

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Funding

This study was funded by Lingnan University. Funding Reference: GSFRG/22/12.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
SDG 5 Gender Equality
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities

Keywords

disability
higher education
systematic review
sexual harassment
students

Access to Document

10.1177/22799036261451535Licence: CC BY-NC

Cite this

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title = "Sexual coercion and harassment of students with disabilities in tertiary institutions: A systematic review",

abstract = "Introduction: This study reviews existing scientific publications on sexual harassment and coercion of students with disabilities in tertiary institutions, a significant global public health and human rights concern. Methods: The review was guided by the PRISMA guidelines whilst the protocol was registered with PROSPERO. Six main databases were searched in addition to supplementary search from other sources. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), Dixon-Woods et al. tool and the Quality Assessment for Diverse Studies (QuADS) tools were used to assess the quality of the studies. Two authors extracted the data, with the third author checking for bias risks. The studies were narratively synthesised where key variables such as the prevalence of sexual harassment and coercion were critically analysed. Results: Out of the 4,968 articles retrieved, 5 were included in the review. The findings revealed that students with disabilities have an increased propensity for sexual coercion/harassment relative to those with no disabilities. The prevalence of sexual harassment/coercion ranged from 10.49\% (out of5,319 students) to 85\% (51 out of 60 students) across the studies, with perpetrators mainly being fellow students and faculty/administrative staff. Lack of understanding and awareness of existing institutional policies and support systems regarding sexual harassment/coercion were key contributing factors. Conclusion: Since sexual harassment perpetuates inequality and undermines progress towards Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth),and 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), students with disabilities should be involved in policy development to combat sexual misconduct in tertiary institutions.",

keywords = "disability, higher education, systematic review, sexual harassment, students",

author = "AMEYAW, \{Edward Kwabena\} and GBAGBO, \{Fred Yao\} and AMOAH, \{Padmore Adusei\} and ROCKSON, \{Gifty Nana Yaa\} and Frank QUANSAH and AGJEI, \{Richard Osei\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).",

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month = jun,

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AU - AMEYAW, Edward Kwabena

AU - GBAGBO, Fred Yao

AU - AMOAH, Padmore Adusei

AU - ROCKSON, Gifty Nana Yaa

AU - QUANSAH, Frank

AU - AGJEI, Richard Osei

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

PY - 2026/6

Y1 - 2026/6

N2 - Introduction: This study reviews existing scientific publications on sexual harassment and coercion of students with disabilities in tertiary institutions, a significant global public health and human rights concern. Methods: The review was guided by the PRISMA guidelines whilst the protocol was registered with PROSPERO. Six main databases were searched in addition to supplementary search from other sources. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), Dixon-Woods et al. tool and the Quality Assessment for Diverse Studies (QuADS) tools were used to assess the quality of the studies. Two authors extracted the data, with the third author checking for bias risks. The studies were narratively synthesised where key variables such as the prevalence of sexual harassment and coercion were critically analysed. Results: Out of the 4,968 articles retrieved, 5 were included in the review. The findings revealed that students with disabilities have an increased propensity for sexual coercion/harassment relative to those with no disabilities. The prevalence of sexual harassment/coercion ranged from 10.49% (out of5,319 students) to 85% (51 out of 60 students) across the studies, with perpetrators mainly being fellow students and faculty/administrative staff. Lack of understanding and awareness of existing institutional policies and support systems regarding sexual harassment/coercion were key contributing factors. Conclusion: Since sexual harassment perpetuates inequality and undermines progress towards Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth),and 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), students with disabilities should be involved in policy development to combat sexual misconduct in tertiary institutions.

AB - Introduction: This study reviews existing scientific publications on sexual harassment and coercion of students with disabilities in tertiary institutions, a significant global public health and human rights concern. Methods: The review was guided by the PRISMA guidelines whilst the protocol was registered with PROSPERO. Six main databases were searched in addition to supplementary search from other sources. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), Dixon-Woods et al. tool and the Quality Assessment for Diverse Studies (QuADS) tools were used to assess the quality of the studies. Two authors extracted the data, with the third author checking for bias risks. The studies were narratively synthesised where key variables such as the prevalence of sexual harassment and coercion were critically analysed. Results: Out of the 4,968 articles retrieved, 5 were included in the review. The findings revealed that students with disabilities have an increased propensity for sexual coercion/harassment relative to those with no disabilities. The prevalence of sexual harassment/coercion ranged from 10.49% (out of5,319 students) to 85% (51 out of 60 students) across the studies, with perpetrators mainly being fellow students and faculty/administrative staff. Lack of understanding and awareness of existing institutional policies and support systems regarding sexual harassment/coercion were key contributing factors. Conclusion: Since sexual harassment perpetuates inequality and undermines progress towards Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth),and 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), students with disabilities should be involved in policy development to combat sexual misconduct in tertiary institutions.

KW - disability

KW - higher education

KW - systematic review

KW - sexual harassment

KW - students

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105038875870

U2 - 10.1177/22799036261451535

DO - 10.1177/22799036261451535

M3 - Journal Article (refereed)

SN - 2279-9028

VL - 15

JO - Journal of Public Health Research

JF - Journal of Public Health Research

IS - 2

ER -

Sexual coercion and harassment of students with disabilities in tertiary institutions: A systematic review

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

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Sexual coercion and harassment of students with disabilities in public tertiary institutions in Ghana

Cite this

Sexual coercion and harassment of students with disabilities in tertiary institutions: A systematic review

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Sexual coercion and harassment of students with disabilities in public tertiary institutions in Ghana

Cite this