Heartiest congratulations to Dr Siti Sya’waanatul Zahraa’ on the successful completion of her Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) viva voce at the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya.
Her doctoral dissertation, entitled “Prevalence, Antecedents and Consequences of Workplace Bullying among House Officers Working at Hospitals in Malaysia”, addresses an important yet often under-recognised occupational and public health challenge within Malaysia’s healthcare system. Through this work, Dr Siti has contributed valuable evidence towards understanding workplace bullying among house officers and identifying opportunities to create healthier, safer and more supportive healthcare workplaces.
Understanding Workplace Bullying Among House Officers in Malaysia
Workplace bullying is increasingly recognised as a significant psychosocial hazard, particularly in demanding professional environments such as healthcare. House officers may be especially vulnerable because they are navigating the transition from medical education to clinical practice while working within complex organisational and professional hierarchies.
Recognising the limited evidence available in Malaysia and the wider Asian context, Dr Siti conducted a multicentre cross-sectional study involving 961 house officers across 13 public hospitals in the central region of Peninsular Malaysia. Using the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised and variance-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), the study examined the prevalence of workplace bullying, its associated factors and its relationship with important occupational and psychological outcomes. The research also explored the potential mediating role of psychological capital.
A key finding was that 23.4% of participating house officers reported exposure to workplace bullying. The study identified several factors associated with bullying, including psychosocial safety climate, conflict management styles and selected sociodemographic and employment characteristics.
Importantly, workplace bullying was significantly associated with turnover intention, psychological symptoms and job performance, while psychological capital demonstrated significant indirect associations consistent with a mediating pattern.
An intriguing finding was the positive association observed between workplace bullying and job performance, contrary to the hypothesised relationship. Drawing on the Conservation of Resources theory, the thesis proposes that this may reflect a context-specific, short-term resource adaptation during medical training. This finding opens an important avenue for further longitudinal research rather than suggesting that bullying is beneficial to performance.
The study’s importance-performance map analysis further identified psychosocial safety climate as a crucial area for managerial attention, particularly in relation to organisational commitment and priority.
An Important Doctoral Achievement
Successfully completing a Doctor of Public Health viva voce represents a significant academic and professional milestone. Dr Siti’s achievement reflects not only the completion of rigorous doctoral training but also her ability to investigate a complex workplace health problem using data from a substantial multicentre sample.
Her research brings together occupational health, organisational psychology, healthcare management and public health. By examining both organisational factors and individual psychological resources, the thesis moves the discussion beyond simply documenting the occurrence of bullying towards understanding where preventive interventions may be directed.
The participation of 961 house officers from 13 public hospitals is particularly noteworthy, providing a substantial empirical foundation for examining this issue within the Malaysian healthcare context.
Contribution to Public Health
The significance of this research extends beyond the experiences of individual house officers. Workplace conditions can influence the psychological wellbeing, retention and functioning of the healthcare workforce, making workplace bullying an issue with implications for health systems and public health.
Dr Siti’s findings reinforce the importance of creating a strong psychosocial safety climate in healthcare organisations, one in which psychological health and safety are reflected in organisational priorities, commitment and practice.
The study also highlights the potential importance of strengthening positive individual resources through psychological capital while recognising that individual resilience should complement, rather than replace, improvements in organisational conditions.
These findings can help inform future workplace policies, prevention programmes, leadership practices and organisational interventions aimed at reducing bullying and improving the working environment for junior doctors. They also provide an evidence base for further longitudinal and intervention research on workplace bullying within Malaysia and the wider Asian healthcare context.
Ultimately, protecting the wellbeing of healthcare workers is integral to building a sustainable health system. A healthier working environment for house officers has implications not only for doctors themselves, but also for workforce retention, healthcare organisations and the patients and communities they serve.
Acknowledgement
We wish to acknowledge the invaluable guidance and mentorship provided by Dr Siti Sya’waanatul Zahraa’s supervisors, Professor Dr Victor CW Hoe, Dr Nithiah a/p Thangiah and Dr Faiz Baharuddin, whose expertise and support were instrumental in the completion of her thesis.
We extend our sincere gratitude to Professor Dr Anselm Su Ting, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, the External Examiner, and Dr Bala Murali a/l Sundram, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, the Internal Examiner.
We would also like to thank the Committee of Examiners for their thorough evaluation and insightful feedback, including Professor Dr Lau Yee Ling, Chairperson of the viva voce session, and Associate Professor Dr Tharani Loganathan, Programme Coordinator, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya.
Their collective expertise, constructive evaluation and scholarly engagement contributed significantly to this important academic milestone.
Congratulations and Looking Ahead
Once again, our warmest congratulations to Dr Siti Sya’waanatul Zahraa’ on this outstanding achievement.
Completing the DrPH is not simply the culmination of years of academic work; it also marks the beginning of new opportunities to translate research evidence into meaningful public health action. Her work provides an important platform for continued research, advocacy and policy engagement in occupational health, healthcare workforce wellbeing and the prevention of workplace bullying.
We look forward to seeing Dr Siti build upon these findings and continue contributing to research, policy and practice that promote psychologically safe, respectful and supportive workplaces for healthcare professionals in Malaysia and beyond.
Congratulations, Dr Siti Sya’waanatul Zahraa’, on the successful completion of your Doctor of Public Health viva voce. We wish you every success in the next chapter of your academic and professional journey.
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