Harassment of newly admitted undergraduates by senior students in a Faculty of Dentistry in Sri Lanka

Background: Harassment of new students by senior colleagues appears to be widespread in the industrialised countries. Although 'ragging' of new entrants to universities in Sri Lanka gets frequently publicised, its prevalence, severity and the consequences have not been documented. Aims: This study aims to ascertain the extent of mistreatment of new dental students, the measures they take when harassed and any resulting negative effects. Methods: We surveyed the year 2008 Dental students using 80 statements dealing with verbal/emotional, sexual and physical harassment. Sixty five students (91.5%) responded anonymously indicating whether a specific action occurred, the degree to which it affected them and any action taken to deal with it. Results: Fifty percent of students had experienced mistreatment. Verbal and emotional abuse was more frequent than sexual or physical. Eighteen percent experienced sexual harassment, with a significantly higher proportion of males than females reporting it. A fifth of the students had upsetting memories of the event. Eighty five percent of the respondents stated that they did not suffer any ethnic or racial discrimination. Conclusions: Emotional harassment of new students by the seniors is a pervasive, yet under-reported problem. Definitive interventions need to be implemented to prevent untoward consequences that can undermine the educational goals of training.