Association Between Psychological Harassment and Burnout in Medical Residents in Mexico City

Abstract

Introduction: Psychological harassment in the medical setting seems to be an inherent part of their training and its repercussions among residents have been dismissed.
Objective: Evaluate the association between workplace harassment and burnout in medical residents in Mexico City.
Method: Cross-sectional study with 251 participants, 44% of who are men and 56% women, with an average age of 27.2 (SD±3.5) years. The evaluation was conducted seven months after the start of the academic year using the Inventario de Burnout de Psicólogos (IBP), Leymann Inventory of Psychological-Terror (LIPT-60), and a questionnaire on sociodemographic data.
Results: The burnout total was 23% explained by the specialty undertaken, year of residency, and Frequency of Psychological Harassment Experiences (FPHE); it was controlled by gender, Average Intensity of Psychological Harassment (AIPH), and the Global Index of Psychological Harassment (GIPH) (p < .0001).
Conclusions: The presence of harassment has consequences for health status (Emotional Exhaustion) and performance (Lack of Personal Accomplishment) for those who receive it, as well as implications for the patient-doctor relationship (Depersonalization). It was observed that the frequency of harassment experienced is the principal element associated with an increase in burnout symptoms.