Bullying among medical residents in a large public hospital: a cross-sectional study

Bullying is a prevalent issue in medical residency worldwide, yet data from Latin America remain limited. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of bullying and its associated factors among medical residents in a public hospital in Brazil.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 82 medical residents. Bullying was assessed using the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised.

There was a prevalence of bullying ranging from 45.1% (Leymann's criteria) to 51.2% (Einarsen, Hoel, and Notelaers criteria). The overall median Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised score was 33 (interquartile range: 27-42), with no significant difference between first-year residents and later-year residents (28.0 vs. 34.5; p=0.06). However, first-year residents reported lower median scores for some bullying domains, including "Work-Related Bullying" (p=0.04), "Personal and Professional Disqualification" (p=0.03), and "Physical Intimidation" (p=0.02). Only 7% of residents self-reported feeling bullied. No associations were found between bullying and sex or specialty.

These findings indicate a high prevalence of bullying in the medical residency programs studied, particularly among more advanced trainees. The large gap between assessed and self-perceived bullying suggests a lack of awareness about what constitutes harassment.