Workplace bullying, discrimination, harassment and quality of life among pediatric physiatrists.
Amy Houtrow, David Pruitt, Kristyn Felman and 1 others
PMID 40653842WHAT IT FOUND
Pediatric physiatrists who disclosed a disability reported significantly higher workplace bullying and discrimination, alongside lower quality of life.
These mistreatment scores were the strongest predictors of poor environmental well-being. Other demographic groups showed no significant differences in bullying or discrimination rates.
Key findings
01Disabled pediatric physiatrists were the only group to meet the threshold for workplace bullying and reported significantly higher discrimination scores.
02Lower overall quality of life scores were significantly correlated with higher bullying and discrimination scores.
03Bullying and discrimination scores most strongly predicted the environmental domain of quality of life.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The small size of the specialty means the study may have been underpowered to detect differences in smaller subgroups, such as the non-significant trend for higher harassment scores in women. Stigma may have led to under-reporting of disabilities and other identities, as 8.4% disclosed a disability compared to 3.1% of physicians generally. The study relied on self-reported data and cross-sectional design, so it cannot prove that mistreatment causes lower quality of life. Participants who did not disclose demographic information were excluded from those specific analyses, reducing sample sizes for some comparisons.
Declared interests
The authors received no financial support and declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that mistreatment is a universal problem across all demographic groups in pediatric physiatry. The study found no significant differences in bullying, discrimination, or quality of life for women, minoritized races, or non-heterosexual physicians compared to their peers. The significant negative outcomes were specifically associated with physicians who disclosed a disability.