ArticleBMJ open2018
'It feels like being trapped in an abusive relationship': bullying prevalence and consequences in the New Zealand senior medical workforce: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of workplace triggers of emotions in the healthcare environment, the emotions experienced, and the impact on patient safety.BMC health services research · 2024Pooled it
- Systematic review of academic bullying in medical settings: dynamics and consequences.BMJ open · 2021Pooled it
- A qualitative study of academic bullying among junior doctors in Sierra Leone.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Allied health professionals' experiences of co-worker unprofessional behaviour and their reported speaking-up skills: A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey.Future healthcare journal · 2025Article
- Workplace bullying, discrimination, harassment and quality of life among pediatric physiatrists.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicine · 2025Article
- Prevalence of workplace bullying among medical students: A meta-analysis and systematic review protocol.PloS one · 2025Article
- Māori Medical Student and Physician Exposure to Racism, Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Evaluation of a culture change program to reduce unprofessional behaviours by hospital co-workers in Australian hospitals.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Co-worker unprofessional behaviour and patient safety risks: an analysis of co-worker reports across eight Australian hospitals.International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care · 2024Article
- Hospital staff reports of coworker positive and unprofessional behaviours across eight hospitals: who reports what about whom?BMJ open quality · 2023Article
- Burnout, stress and intentions to leave work in New Zealand psychiatrists; a mixed methods cross sectional study.BMC psychiatry · 2022Article
- Perceived inequity, professional and personal fulfillment by women intensivists in France.Annals of intensive care · 2021Article
- Prevalence of Workplace Bullying and Its Associated Factors among Workers in a Malaysian Public University Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2021Article
- Workplace violence against doctors: Characteristics, risk factors, and mitigation strategies.Journal of postgraduate medicineReview
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo estimate prevalence of and factors contributing to bullying among senior doctors and dentists in New Zealand's public health system, to ascertain rates of reporting bullying behaviour, perceived barriers to reporting and the effects of bullying professionally and personally.
designCross-sectional, mixed methods study.
settingNew Zealand.
participantsMembers of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (40.8% response rate).
main outcome measuresPrevalence of bullying was measured using the Negative Acts Questionnaire (revised) (NAQ-r). Workplace demands and level of peer and managerial support were measured with the Health and Safety Executive Management Standards Analysis tool. Categories of perpetrators for self-reported and witnessed bullying and barriers to reporting bullying were obtained and qualitative data detailing the consequence of bullying were analysed thematically.
resultsThe overall prevalence of bullying, measured by the NAQ-r, was 38% (at least one negative act on a weekly or daily basis), 37.2% self-reported and 67.5% witnessed. There were significant differences in rates of bullying by specialty (P=0.001) with emergency medicine reporting the highest bullying prevalence (47.9%). The most commonly cited perpetrators were other senior medical or dental specialists. 69.6% declined to report their bullying. Bullying across all measures was significantly associated with increasing work demands and lower peer and managerial support (P=0.001). Consequences of bullying were wide ranging, affecting workplace environments, personal well-being and subjective quality of patient care.
conclusionsBullying is prevalent in New Zealand's senior medical workforce and is associated with high workloads and low peer and managerial support. These findings help identify conditions and pressures that may encourage bullying and highlight the significant risk of bullying for individuals and their patients.
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