Workplace bullying and sexual harassment among general surgery residents in Colombia

Abstract

Introduction: Workplace bullying and sexual harassment are concerns among general surgery residents in Colombia.

Objetive: To explore the prevalence and impact of workplace bullying and sexual harassment incidents among general surgery residents in Colombia.

Materials and methods: This nationwide study was conducted in 2020. Residents selfrated their exposure to workplace bullying and to sexual harassment in the forms of gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention, and sexual coercion. We analyzed demographic variables, perpetrator’s characteristics, and differences between victims and non-victims.

Results: The study included 302 residents. It found that 49% of general surgery residents in Colombia suffered from workplace bullying and 14.9% experienced sexual harassment. The main forms of sexual harassment were gender harassment (47%) and unwanted sexual attention (47%). Women reported significantly higher rates of being sexually harassed. Surgeons were the main perpetrators of sexual harassment.

Conclusions: Workplace bullying and sexual harassment are frequent events in general surgery residency in Colombia. These findings suggest the need for interventions to improve the educational culture of surgical departments and decrease the prevalence of these behaviors.