More Interns Recognize Harassment Years After #MeToo

— While sexual harassment rates are decreasing, more trainees are recognizing it, study finds

Rates of sexual harassment and gender harassment during intern year have decreased, while recognition of these behaviors among interns has increased, according to a cohort study of more than 4,000 trainees.

A survey during the last month of internship showed that sexual harassment incidence decreased from 62.8% in 2017 to 54.6% in 2023 (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.90-0.94), and gender harassment incidence decreased from 61% to 51.7% (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.89-0.93), reported Elena Frank, PhD, of the Michigan Neuroscience Institute at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues.

Meanwhile, recognition of sexual harassment increased from 8.6% to 18.4% (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.07-1.17), with this change greater among women versus men and surgical versus nonsurgical interns, and gender harassment recognition increased overall, from 8.9% to 18.9% (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.07-1.17), the authors noted in a research letter in JAMA Health Forumopens in a new tab or window.

"The rates of people recognizing they experienced harassment was much, much lower than the folks who experienced it," Frank told MedPage Today, adding that either people don't realize it's harassment or that the behavior is so ingrained in the culture "that it doesn't stand out to people as something abnormal or problematic."

Alarmingly, rates of sexual coercion more than doubled for women, from 2.3% to 5.5% over this time period (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.08-1.28), and from 1.6% to 4% for nonsurgical interns (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.09-1.27).

The authors noted they were inspired by #MeToo, and the ensuing #MedToo movement.

"Women may have some unique stressors that they experience under an internship, throughout training, and their careers that can be detrimental to their well-being," Frank said.

For instance, recognition of unwanted sexual attention increased particularly for women trainees, from 29.7% to 41.8% (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.03-1.16), as well as surgical trainees, from 18.8% to 52.5% (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.12-1.44). Surgical trainees also had a fourfold increase in gender harassment recognition, from 6.8% to 28.8% (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.19-1.45).

Data came from the larger Intern Health Study, which has been ongoing since 2007 and aims to use internship as a longitudinal model of stress.

"With the large-scale nature of our study, we were in a unique position to be able to assess some of those things," Frank said, noting that having already been asking a cohort of people questions, and thus being able to tack on a survey assessing harassment at the end of intern year, was a methodological strength.

Ultimately, the authors concluded that the "gap between experience and recognition may reflect the extent to which sexual and gender-based discriminatory behavior remains ingrained in the culture of medicine."

Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, told MedPage Today that this study is important and "both offers encouraging evidence that physicians are becoming more aware of behaviors that constitute sexual harassment but also worrisome evidence that such unacceptable behaviors remain so common" -- problems that require a culture shift.

Frank noted that "medicine should be setting the bar for ... health and well-being." She added that many occupations look up to the field of medicine. "The fact that this is one of the worst for how women are treated is just really, really sickening."

For this study, a total of 4,178 participants answered a follow-up survey during the last month of internship that included the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire-Shortened (SEQ-S), which assesses gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention, and sexual coercion using a five-point Likert scale.

Participants spanned specialties, and median age was 27. Demographically, 51.7% were women, 61.9% were white, 3.6% were Black, 3.3% were Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% were Arab, and 9.4% were multiracial.

The authors noted that the main limitation to their study was potential underreporting. Future research should further explore how specialty-, institution-, and program-specific factors impact sexual harassment and reporting, they added.

Rachael Robertson is a writer on the MedPage Today enterprise and investigative team, also covering OB/GYN news. Her print, data, and audio stories have appeared in Everyday Health, Gizmodo, the Bronx Times, and multiple podcasts. Follow

>>The authors noted that the main limitation to their study was potential underreporting.

So the actual data didn’t show the effect they wanted. The error is just as likely to be OVER reporting given the current political climate.

More women (and quite a few men) have figured out that they can profit greatly and/or get revenge by claiming “Sexual Harassment”. Proof no longer matters to the either the Courts or the HR Departments.

“More women (and quite a few men) have figured out that they can profit greatly and/or get revenge by claiming “Sexual Harassment”. Proof no longer matters to the either the Courts or the HR Departments.”

Absolutely. This is where the “recognizing it more” implication comes from. I worked for a company who would send an attractive IT tech around now and then to work on computers. She always dressed very provocitively, so much so it was inappropriate for the office environment. But if you even looked in her direction she would hit you with a sexual harrasment charge. When she came around every male had to leave the room to protect themselves. She hated men with a passion and just being in the same room with her was an extreme employment risk.

Wow.

Another reason I’m glad I ‘went galt’ at 35 years of age (nearly 40 years ago) and never had to deal with that kind of crap .

Working at home seems to get rid of most of the issue as well.

That gets rid of a significant headache for employer and employees alike—a win win.

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