Authors
Caroline Olsson, Anna Toropova, Irene Jensen, Christina Björklund
Published in
International journal of medical education. Volume 17. Pages 90-96. Jul 02, 2026. Epub Jul 02, 2026.
Abstract
This study examines the prevalence and impact of bullying and sexual harassment among students in nursing and medical education programmes in Sweden.
This cross-sectional survey targeted students from 38 universities. A total of 18,582 individuals responded to the questionnaire, yielding a 25% response rate. The sample included students enrolled in nursing (N = 1,083) and medical (N = 431) programmes. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and two-sample t-tests.
Among female students who experienced bullying, higher levels of stress ( t (1188) = 4.91, p < .001), burnout (t(1188) = 5.83, p < .001), and intention to quit studies ( t (1186) = 4.30, p < .001) were reported. Bullied male students showed elevated stress ( t (317) = 3.15, p = .002), burnout ( t (317) = 3.49, p < .001), and intention to quit ( t (316) = 3.67, p < .001). Female students who experienced sexual harassment reported increased stress ( t (1185) = 4.02, p < .001), burnout ( t (1185) = 4.10, p < .001), and intention to quit ( t (1184) = 2.73, p = .006). In contrast, sexually harassed male students reported higher stress ( t (314) = 2.04, p = .042), but no significant differences in burnout ( t (314) = 0.80, p = .425) or intention to quit ( t (314) = 1.86, p = .064). Students from the nursing- and medical programme reported a higher prevalence of bullying and sexual harassment than other students.
Given the high prevalence and detrimental effects of bullying and sexual harassment in nursing and medical education, targeted interventions are needed to prevent and address these behaviours.
PMID:
42402223
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 06 Jul 2026.
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