Abstract
BackgroundBullying is an unexpressed part and parcel of medical education but it is largely unexplored in physiotherapy. This study assessed the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of bullying in physiotherapy education in Nigeria.MethodsTwo hundred and nineteen clinical physiotherapy students from three purposively selected Federal Universities in Nigeria participated in this study. Following a cross-sectional design, the Students Perception of Professor Bullying Questionnaire (SPPBQ) was used to obtain information on bullying. The SPPBQ includes a working definition of lecturer bullying followed by other sections inquiring about lecturers bullying experiences. Data was collected on socio-demographic characteristics, bullying experiences and availability of adequate policy and support on bullying. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used analyze data. Alpha level was set at p < 0.05.ResultsLifetime and point prevalence of bullying in physiotherapy education were 98.6 and 99.1%. 94.5% of the respondents had witnessed physiotherapy students bullying and there was a 100% rate of ‘no attempt’ to stop a physiotherapy lecturer from bullying. 38.4 and 44.7% of the respondents believed there was adequate school policy and support available on bullying. There was no significant association between bullying and each of age (휒2 = 0.117, p = 0.943), gender (휒2 = 0.001, p = 0.974), level of study (휒2 = 0.000, p = 0.995) and any specific university (휒2 = 1.343, p = 0.511).ConclusionThere is high lifetime and point prevalence of bullying in physiotherapy education in Nigeria, which are largely unchallenged or redressed. Being a clinical physiotherapy student ordinarily predisposes to bullying without necessary contributions of intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
Highlights
Bullying is an unexpressed part and parcel of medical education but it is largely unexplored in physiotherapy
Discriminatory gender norms promote male dominance and the suppression of women; while social norms legitimize the authority of lecturers over students [21]
The higher rates of bullying observed in this study may be an indicator of right abuses that are prevalent in the wider society in Nigeria [55, 56]
Summary
Bullying is an unexpressed part and parcel of medical education but it is largely unexplored in physiotherapy. This study assessed the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of bullying in physiotherapy education in Nigeria. Similar to the foregoing, bullying in the context of health professions education has been documented. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) [21] submits that gender norms, social norms and the peculiarity of the context underlie school bullying. Discriminatory gender norms promote male dominance and the suppression of women; while social norms legitimize the authority of lecturers over students [21]. Other authors have documented some other sociodemographic factors such as religion, race and culture to independently or in association promote school bullying [22,23,24]
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