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Assaults and Microaggressions Against Psychiatric Residents: Findings from a US Survey

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Abstract

Objectives

Psychiatric physicians may experience higher rates of assault than those in other fields. For many reasons, residents may be especially vulnerable. This study updates rates of assaults among US psychiatry residents as well as the reporting rates and emotional effects of these incidents. Little data exists to examine rates of microaggressions against psychiatry residents.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was distributed through a national residency database via a snowball-sampling approach between June and September of 2021. The questionnaire asked about experiences of verbal, physical, and sexual assaults, as well as microaggressions and their impact. Descriptive analyses of the obtained data were conducted.

Results

The survey was completed by 275 psychiatry residents from 29 states (63.6% women). At least one form of assault was experienced by 78.9% of participants with 74.5% experiencing verbal, 22.2% experiencing physical, and 6.2% experiencing sexual assault. At least one type of microaggression was experienced by 86.9% of trainees. Elevations in PTSD scores were seen in residents who identified as women and non-White and those physically injured or sexually assaulted. While 92.7% of residents stated their program provided training about assault, 25% of residents indicated they had no training on recognizing and responding to microaggressions.

Conclusions

Psychiatric residents experience widespread assault and microaggressions in the clinical setting but often do not report them. Due to the ubiquitous nature of these events, programs should provide training about early recognition and de-escalation techniques for agitation, responding effectively to microaggressions, and the importance of reporting events.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Victor Pereira-Sanchez, Arpit Parmar, and their colleagues for conducting the referenced studies on violence against psychiatric trainees in Europe and Asia. We also thank our research coordinator, Michelle Matukewicz.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oklahoma City Indian Clinic, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

    Drew Dawson

  2. University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine, Tulsa, OK, USA

    Sarah Beth Bell, Nicholas Hollman, Tara Lemens, Danielle Safo & Tessa Manning

  3. Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Crystal Obiozor

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Correspondence to Tessa Manning.

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Dawson, D., Bell, S.B., Hollman, N. et al. Assaults and Microaggressions Against Psychiatric Residents: Findings from a US Survey. Acad Psychiatry 48, 310–319 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-024-01933-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-024-01933-7

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