Types of Violence Prevalence in Medical Residencies in Mexico

Abstract Background. Violence includes behaviours that medical residents in clinical settings perceive as humiliating, abusive, or hostile. The aim of the present study is to describe the prevalence and severity of different types of violence in medical residencies administrated by the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Method. The project was conducted through an analytical cross-sectional study, the sample included 78 specialties, 113 medical units, six health institutions and residents with between one and eight years of study during the 2021-2022. An online survey was applied, which demonstrated a high degree of reliability with an alpha omega Ω of 0.835 (CI; 0.828-0.843). Results. Of the 14,751 students enrolled 12,612 (85%) responded, 49.6% were women, and the average age was 31.1 years (SD 3.1). A total of 6,602 respondents (52.3%) reported suffering some type of violence on the last 12 months. The incidences included psychological violence 44.4%, physical violence 4.7%, sexual violence 6%, and academic mobbing and workplace violence 32.7%. Professors and third-year residents were the most common perpetrators approximately 50% and 25% of the cases, respectively. Women reported suffering more violence than men (p< 0.05). Conclusions. The strength of this study is based on the fact that it includes all medical specialties, it assesses the severity and direction of the violence, and it considers gender.