Variation by Institution in Sexual Harassment Experiences Among US Medical Interns.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Viglianti EM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10751587 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Variation by Institution in Sexual Harassment Experiences Among US Medical Interns.
Viglianti Elizabeth M EM Oliverio Andrea L AL Pereira-Lima Karina K Frank Elena E Meeks Lisa M LM Sen Srijan S Bohnert Amy S B ASB
JAMA network open 20231201 12
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Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC5526590 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDespite explicit policies and reporting mechanisms in academia designed to prevent harassment and ensure respectful environments, sexual harassment persists. We report on a national survey of Canadian medical students' experiences of sexual harassment perpetrated by faculty, patients and peers, their responses to harassment, and their suggestions for improving the learning environment.MethodsWith ethics approval from all 17 Canadian universities with medical schools, an invitation to participate in an anonymous, electronic survey was included in three Canadian Federation of Medical Students' newsletters (2016). Narrative information about sexual harassment during medical training, perpetrators, ways of coping, sources of support, formal and informal reporting/discussion, and suggestions for change was sought. Three authors then conducted a qualitative analysis and identified emergent themes.FindingsWhen asked to estimate the number of occurrences of SH experienced during medical school, 188 students reported 807 incidents perpetrated by peers, patients, and, to a lesser extent, faculty. Perpetrators were almost always men and 98% of victims were women. What emerged was a picture of social, educational, and individual conditions under which sexual harassment becomes normalised by faculty, peers and victims. Students often tried to ignore harassment despite finding it confusing, upsetting, and embarrassing. They offered strategies for schools to raise awareness, support students, and prevent or mitigate harms going forward.InterpretationSexual harassment is a part of the Canadian medical education environment where most who reported harassment are subject to the dual vulnerabilities of being learners and women. Although survey respondents recognised the systemic nature of the problem, as individuals they often described shame and self-blame when victimised, came up with solutions that implied they were the problem, and often reported thinking silence was less risky than confrontation or official reporting. Many participants believed in the transformative power of education - of themselves and faculty - as a means of improving the medical environment whilst we await social change.
| S-EPMC6537541 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND: The first year of graduate medical education is an important period in the professional development of physicians. Disruptive behavior interferes with safe and effective clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency and nature of disruptive behavior perceived by interns and attending physicians in a teaching hospital environment. METHOD: All 516 interns at Partners HealthCare (Boston, MA) during the 2010 and 2011 academic years were eligible to complete an anonymous questionnaire. A convenience nonrandom sample of 40 attending physicians also participated. RESULTS: A total of 394 of 516 eligible interns (76.4%) participated. Attendings and interns each reported that their team members generally behaved professionally (87.5% versus 80.4%, respectively). A significantly greater proportion of attendings than interns felt respected at work (90.0% versus 71.5% respectively; P = .01). Disruptive behavior was experienced by 93% of interns; 54% reported that they experienced it once a month or more. Interns reported disruptive behavior significantly more frequently than attending physicians, including increased reports of condescending behavior (odds ratio [OR], 5.46 for interns compared with attendings; P < .001), exclusion from decision making (OR, 6.97; P < .001), and berating (OR, 4.84; P = .02). Inappropriate jokes, abusive language, and gender bias were also reported, and they were not significantly more frequent among interns than attending physicians. Interns most frequently identified nurses as the source of disruption, and were significantly more likely than faculty to identify nurses as the source of disruptive behavior (OR, 10.40; P < .001). Attendings reported other physicians as the most frequent source of disruption. CONCLUSIONS: Although interns generally feel respected at work, they frequently experience disruptive behavior. Interns described more disruptive behaviors than a convenience sample of attending physicians at our institution.
| S-EPMC3613313 | biostudies-other
Project description:Background There is little existing research investigating SH/SA specifically from patients to students. This study aims to assess the prevalence and impact of SH and SA from patient to medical student. Methods A cross-sectional survey study was administered via electronic email list to all current medical students at the University of Washington School of Medicine (n = 1183) over a two-week period in 2019. The survey questions addressed respondents’ experiences with SH/SA from patients, frequency of reporting, and impact on feelings of burnout. Results Three hundred eleven responses were received for a response rate of 26%; 268 complete responses were included in the final analysis. Overall, 56% of respondents reported ever experiencing SH from a patient. SH from a patient was reported by significantly more of those who identify as female compared to male (66% vs 31%; p < .001). Similar frequency of experiencing SH within the last year were reported by females and males (90% vs 88%; p = .96). Clinical students were more likely to have ever experienced SH compared to preclinical students (61% vs 39%; p < .001). The majority (86%) of respondents who experienced SH/SA did not report it in an official capacity. Those who identify as female were more likely to report that SH from a patient contributed to feelings of burnout (21% vs 5% for male; p = .02). Behaviors consistent with SA were experienced by 16% of respondents, with similar frequency between females and males. Conclusions This study demonstrates that patient to medical student SH/SA is a common occurrence, particularly among students identifying as female. It also highlights the significant impact of SH/SA incidents on feelings of burnout. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-022-03914-6.
| S-EPMC9710121 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence and impact of sexual harassment among a nationwide sample of medical sonographers.MethodsA survey was distributed anonymously to a convenience sample of medical sonographers via email contacts and sonographer-specific social media pages. Data were analyzed to determine respondent demographics, the prevalence of sexual harassment in the last 2 years, the type and severity of harassment experienced, demographics of perpetrators, personal and institutional responses to such experiences, and the impact of sexual harassment on sonographer physical and mental health and job satisfaction.ResultsOf the 220 sonographers (83% female) most (45%) were between 18 and 34 years and identified as white (81%). A total of 192 (87%) reported experiencing at least 1 incident of harassment within the last 2 years. Female respondents experienced higher harassment rates (76%) compared to males (50%, P = .02). The most common forms of harassment were verbal, including suggestive or sexist jokes (69%) and offensive sexist remarks (61%). Perpetrators were predominantly male (78%) and most commonly patients (89%) or their friends/family members (46%). The majority of respondents either ignored the harassing behavior (70%) or treated it like a joke (50%), with only a minority (12%) officially reporting incidents. Of those who reported, 44% were unsatisfied with their institution's response. Among respondents, 34% reported negative impacts of workplace sexual harassment, such as anxiety, depression, sleep loss, or adverse workplace consequences.DiscussionWorkplace sexual harassment is a common occurrence for sonographers and often leads to negative health and career outcomes. Further institutional policies to prevent harassment and mitigate its effects are needed.
| S-EPMC11623370 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundGender discrimination (GD) and sexual harassment (SH) occur at all academic institutions worldwide. Medical students report high prevalence of GD and SH, which may negatively affect their education and health. There are indications that policies and reforms on reducing GD/SH are insufficient. Swedish medical students' experiences of GD/SH are monitored by course-evaluations and bi-annual student union evaluations; however, the response rate is usually low. The aim of this study was to compare the exposure to and context of self-reported GD/SH over an 11-year period amongst medical students at a Swedish university.MethodsIn 2002, a questionnaire (n = 622) was mailed to medical students' home addresses. It was repeated in 2013 and then distributed during mandatory lectures (n = 856). The questions used a behavioristic approach and asked about specific GH/SH experiences. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. The changes in prevalence over time were calculated by sampling weights in order to obtain comparable estimates, representative of both cohorts.ResultsThe response frequency was 55% (62% women) in 2002 and 81% (59% women) in 2013. The prevalence of GD tended to decrease for male and clinical students in comparison to female and pre-clinical peers. However, the prevalence of SH increased for female compared to male students. The ratio of SH for female pre-clinical students doubled in many instances; most often, the mistreatment occurred in the clinic. Medical doctors were indicated as perpetrators up to five times more often by all students in 2013.ConclusionOur results show a disproportional change in exposure to GD/SH between female and male medical students, resulting in a widening of the gender gap regarding prevalence of GD and SH between 2002 and 2013. In particular, personal experiences of SH increased for both sexes. It is proof that institutional efforts to fight mistreatment might be ineffective.
| S-EPMC7731624 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Sexual harassment is pervasive in academic health fields. Although a predominantly female profession, early career academics and trainees in occupational therapy (OT) remain vulnerable to sexual harassment. We aimed to describe experiences of sexual harassment of female-identifying academic OT practitioners. We conducted surveys and interviews using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to examine participants' experiences. Ten participants completed the survey and/or interview. Experiences ranged from inappropriate comments to persistent sexual assault. Four themes (blurred lines, unbalanced consequences, "how did I get here?" and "we don't talk about it") were generated based on participant responses. Power dynamics and the cultures and values of the OT profession were underlying elements of all themes. The consequences of sexual harassment were severe and affected personal and professional growth. For OT research and education to thrive, stronger support for victims and consistent, appropriate consequences for perpetrators are necessary to minimize negative outcomes for victims.
| S-EPMC10412730 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents report higher rates of dating violence victimization compared with their heterosexual and cisgender peers. Research on dating violence often neglects diversity in sexual and gender identities and is limited to experiences in relationships. Further, given that dating violence and alcohol use are comorbid, research on experiences of dating violence could provide insights into alcohol use disparities among SGM adolescents. We aimed to map patterns of relationship experiences, sexual and physical dating violence, and sexual and physical assault and explored differences in these experiences among SGM adolescents. Further, we examined how these patterns explained alcohol use. We used a U.S. non-probability national web-based survey administered to 13-17-year-old SGM adolescents (N = 12,534). Using latent class analyses, four patterns were identified: low relationship experience, dating violence and harassment and assault (72.0%), intermediate dating experiences, sexual harassment, and assault and low levels of dating violence (13.1%), high dating experiences, dating violence, and sexual assault (8.6%), and high dating experiences, dating violence, and sexual harassment and assault (6.3%). Compared to lesbian and gay adolescents, bisexual adolescents reported more experiences with dating, dating violence, and sexual assault, whereas heterosexual adolescents reported fewer experiences with dating, dating violence, and sexual harassment and assault. Compared to cisgender boys, cisgender girls, transgender boys, and non-binary/assigned male at birth adolescents were more likely to experience dating violence inside and outside of relationship contexts. Experiences of dating, dating violence, and sexual harassment and assault were associated with both drinking frequency and heavy episodic drinking. Together, the findings emphasize the relevance of relationship experiences when studying dating violence and how dating violence and sexual harassment and assault might explain disparities in alcohol use.
| S-EPMC8917816 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAssessment of the presence and characteristics of sexual harassment in academic medicine is a global issue. Only limited international data are available so far.MethodsAim: To assess the extent of sexual harassment and identify the perpetrators in the student population of the medical school of Münster, Germany. A survey was undertaken, using the Medical Women's International Association sexual harassment questionnaire translated into German. The anonymous online questionnaire was sent as a link to all medical undergraduates at Münster Medical School via a mailing list between 1 October and 30 November 2018. Identifying or potentially identifying data were not collected. Data were analysed by descriptive statistical methods such as categorical variables. Baseline characteristics, e.g. answers by male or female medical students, were correlated with their individual sexual harassment experiences and perpetrator groups by means of univariate analysis.ResultsA total of 2162 medical students were asked to participate, with 623 (28.8%) completing the survey. Sexual harassment is a significant issue among medical students at Münster Medical School with over half (58.9%) of all undergraduates being exposed to sexually harassing behaviour. In total, 31.8% of all participants reported having experienced unwanted physical sexual contact such as unwanted physical touching, with 87.6% of the victims being female. Overall, 41.3% personally experienced verbal sexual harassment of which 87.4% were female. Furthermore, 8.5% of undergraduates faced forced sexual contact such as oral, anal or vaginal penetration, intercourse and rape, with all victims being female. Perpetrators in these cases were mostly male medical superiors (7.0%) and male patients (18.3%). In general, most perpetrators were patients, followed by medical superiors and educators, and less frequently by colleagues.ConclusionsSexual harassment in medical education and the medical workplace is a significant problem in a German medical school. Most students experiencing sexual harassment are females. Female students also experience the more serious forms of sexual harassment more often.
| S-EPMC7852293 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study explored the experiences of lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) students' (N = 9, aged 19-24) of sexual harassment via semistructured interviews. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis. Three overarching themes emerged: (a) the paradox of men's unwanted sexual attention, (b) the negative impact on relationships, and (c) the LGBTQ* community as a refuge. The women reported enduring unwanted heteronormative sexual attention, and heterosexist and homophobic harassment which forced some to conceal their sexuality. Support for the LGBTQ* community was central in developing confidence to call-out harassment. The findings call for the inclusion of LBQ-specific messages in sexual violence awareness and prevention interventions.
| S-EPMC11316343 | biostudies-literature