BACKGROUND and METHOD: A survey of all Canadian psychiatric residents
was undertaken to ascertain the prevalence of resident-educator sexual
contact in training programs, the residents' feelings about this contact,
their knowledge of the ethical standards of the profession, and the extent
of the information they had been given about this subject. An
investigator-designed questionnaire was circulated to all psychiatric
residents in Canada through the directors of postgraduate training
programs. To ensure confidentiality, the residents returned their
questionnaires directly to the investigators. RESULTS: Of the 314
respondents, 4.1% (N = 6) of the female residents and 1.2% (N = 2) of the
male residents reported sexual involvements with their educators. Although
the majority of these eight residents had positive or neutral feelings
about the contact, 37.5% (N = 3) of the involved residents had mixed
feelings. The residents' education concerning resident-educator sexual
contact was strikingly sparse. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the need
for inclusion of this tissue in residency programs.Abstract Teaser