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Repeated bullying at the workplace in medical students and young doctors: the MESSIAEN national study

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Abstract

Despite clues indicating high Bullying at the Work Place (BWP) rates in French hospitals, there has been no quantitative study so far. To determine the prevalence of repeated BWP in a national sample of French young physicians; its risk factors, and the mental health consequences of BWP. The study is a cross-sectional observational epidemiological national study addressed to young physicians. The online internet anonymous questionnaire was elaborated according to previous studies exploring BWP. In addition, we explored the quality of initial training. BWP was defined according to the French legal definition. Mental health was assessed by Hamilton Anxiety and Depression scale, psychotropic drug consumption and psychotherapy follow-up. A Structured Equation Modeling (SEM) was carried out to confirm our theoretical model. 2003 participants of the 37 French medical faculties were included. At least one history of BWP was identified in 41.7% of the participants. The SEM model showed good fit (RMSEA = 0.025, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.92, WRMR = 1.285). In the SEM model, BWP was associated with age and number of monthly night shifts and weekly worked hours. Obstetric gynecology, psychiatry, surgery, and medical specialties and low-quality initial training were associated with higher risk of BWP. BWP was associated with increased anxiety and depressive symptoms, daily antidepressant and anxiolytic consumption, and psychotherapy follow-up. Decreasing worked hours and night shifts and improving the quality of the initial training may help preventing BWP among medical students and young physicians. Obstetric gynecology, surgical and medical specialties, and psychiatry should be targeted with a focus on developing prevention programs.

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Funding

This work was funded by AP-HM (Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Marseille) and Aix-Marseille University. We express all our thanks to the participants and the universities that participated to the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hôpitaux Universitaires de Marseille, Faculté de Médecine-Secteur Timone, CEReSS-Centre d’Etude et de Recherche sur les Services de Santé et la Qualité de Vie, HUM, Aix-Marseille Univ, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin EA 3279, 13005, Marseille, France

    M. Messiaen, A. Duba, C. Boulangeat, M. Boucekine, A. Bourbon, M. Viprey, P. Auquier, C. Lançon, L. Boyer & G. Fond

Authors
  1. M. Messiaen
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  2. A. Duba
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  3. C. Boulangeat
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  4. M. Boucekine
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  5. A. Bourbon
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  6. M. Viprey
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  7. P. Auquier
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  8. C. Lançon
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  9. L. Boyer
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  10. G. Fond
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Contributions

MM, AD, and CB created the original questionnaire in collaboration with AB under the supervision of GF. MB carried out the statistical analyses. MM, LB, and GF wrote the first draft of the article. All authors validated the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. Fond.

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The authors declared that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Communicated by Florence Thibaut.

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Messiaen, M., Duba, A., Boulangeat, C. et al. Repeated bullying at the workplace in medical students and young doctors: the MESSIAEN national study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 271, 1123–1131 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-020-01144-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-020-01144-9

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