Medical Student Abuse: Incidence, Severity, and Significance

• Published in: JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 263; no. 4; pp. 527 - 532
• Main Authors: Silver, Henry K, Glicken, Anita Duhl
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL American Medical Association 26-01-1990
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Female; Humans; Interprofessional Relations; Male; Medical schools; Medical sciences; Medical Staff - psychology; Middle Aged; Physicians - psychology; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Self Concept; Stress; Stress, Physiological - epidemiology; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Students; Students, Medical - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States; United States; Human; Questionnaire; Exploration; Student; Statistical study; Public health; Stress
• ISSN: 0098-7484; 1538-3598
• DOI: 10.1001/jama.1990.03440040066030

In a survey of the incidence, severity, and significance of medical student abuse as perceived by the student population of one major medical school, 46.4% of all respondents stated that they had been abused at some time while enrolled in medical school, with 80.6% of seniors reporting being abused by the senior year. More than two thirds (69.1%) of those abused reported that at least one of the episodes they experienced was of "major importance and very upsetting." Half (49.6%) of the students indicated that the most serious episode of abuse affected them adversely for a month or more; 16.2% said that it would "always affect them." Students identified various types of abuse and proposed a number of measures for the prevention and management of abuse in medical school. We conclude that medical student abuse was perceived by these students to be a significant cause of stress and should be a major concern of those involved with medical student education.(JAMA. 1990;263:527-532)