An obscured obstacle—Prevalence and nature of micro aggressions amongst healthcare professionals / Un obstáculo oscurecido. Prevalencia y naturaleza de las microagresiones entre los profesionales de la salud

Introduction: Microaggressions create negative consequences on the mental health of individuals who experience them, such as feelings of alienation, frustration and low self-esteem. Physicians worldwide are negatively impacted by the detrimental effects of microaggressions and implicit bias. It is imperative to establish the prevalence specificity of the problem hence the aim of this study is to determine the prevalence, nature and determinants of microaggressions amongst healthcare professionals. Method: The study used an online anonymous survey to collect data including demographics, awareness of the term, experience of microaggression, acts and response. The research findings were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses using Chi-square test and binary logistic regression respectively. Result: A total of 443 participants (40.9% males, 59.1% females) included 403 physicians (91%), 21 dentists (4.7%), 15 nurses (3.4%) and 4 pharmacists (0.9%). More than half of the participants (59.8%) were aware of the term micro-aggression. The percentage was significantly higher among respondents from the western region of Saudi Arabia than the Gulf/Middle Eastern countries. Approximately 38.1% of the participants experienced microaggression and more than half (55.62%) did not report experiencing microaggression. The most common form of microaggression was passive-aggressive behavior (80.5%) followed by invalidation of an opinion (73.4%). Among those who experienced microaggression, (12.9%) reported anger as the most predominant emotional response. Conclusion: Microaggression is a universal phenomenon. Further research is necessary to determine its prevalence in other countries to establish a comprehensive understanding of its cultural context.(AU)

Introducción: Las microagresiones crean consecuencias negativas en la salud mental de las personas que las experimentan, como sentimientos de alienación, frustración y baja autoestima. Los médicos de todo el mundo se ven afectados negativamente por los efectos perjudiciales de las microagresiones y el sesgo implícito. Es imperativo establecer la especificidad de prevalencia del problema, por lo que el objetivo de este estudio es determinar la prevalencia, la naturaleza y los determinantes de las microagresiones entre los profesionales de la salud. Método: El estudio utilizó una encuesta anónima en línea para recopilar datos demográficos, conocimiento del término, experiencia de microagresión, actos y respuesta. Los resultados de la investigación se analizaron mediante análisis univariados y multivariados mediante la prueba de Chi-cuadrado y la regresión logística binaria, respectivamente. Resultado: Un total de 443 participantes (40,9% hombres, 59,1% mujeres) incluyeron 403 médicos (91%), 21 dentistas (4,7%), 15 enfermeras (3,4%) y 4 farmacéuticos (0,9%). Más de la mitad de los participantes (59,8%) conocían el término microagresión. El porcentaje fue significativamente mayor entre los encuestados de la región occidental de Arabia Saudita que entre los países del Golfo/Medio Oriente. Aproximadamente el 38,1% de los participantes experimentaron microagresión y más de la mitad (55,62%) informaron no haber experimentado microagresión. La forma más común de microagresión fue el comportamiento pasivo-agresivo (80,5%), seguido de la invalidación de una opinión (73,4%). Entre quienes experimentaron microagresión, 12,9% reportaron ira como la respuesta emocional predominante. Conclusión: La microagresión es un fenómeno universal. Se necesita más investigación para determinar su prevalencia en otros países a fin de establecer una comprensión integral de su contexto cultural.(AU)

An obscured obstacle-Prevalence and nature of micro aggressions amongst healthcare professionals.

INTRODUCTION: Microaggressions create negative consequences on the mental health of individuals who experience them, such as feelings of alienation, frustration and low self-esteem. Physicians worldwide are negatively impacted by the detrimental effects of microaggressions and implicit bias. It is imperative to establish the prevalence specificity of the problem hence the aim of this study is to determine the prevalence, nature and determinants of microaggressions amongst healthcare professionals. METHOD: The study used an online anonymous survey to collect data including demographics, awareness of the term, experience of microaggression, acts and response. The research findings were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses using Chi-square test and binary logistic regression respectively. RESULT: A total of 443 participants (40.9% males, 59.1% females) included 403 physicians (91%), 21 dentists (4.7%), 15 nurses (3.4%) and 4 pharmacists (0.9%). More than half of the participants (59.8%) were aware of the term micro-aggression. The percentage was significantly higher among respondents from the western region of Saudi Arabia than the Gulf/Middle Eastern countries. Approximately 38.1% of the participants experienced microaggression and more than half (55.62%) did not report experiencing microaggression. The most common form of microaggression was passive-aggressive behavior (80.5%) followed by invalidation of an opinion (73.4%). Among those who experienced microaggression, (12.9%) reported anger as the most predominant emotional response. CONCLUSION: Microaggression is a universal phenomenon. Further research is necessary to determine its prevalence in other countries to establish a comprehensive understanding of its cultural context.