Research Article

Experience of ragging among dental students S. Balamithra, Dhanraj Ganapathy*, Kiran Kumar

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Students experience , , and at educational institutions as a regular phenomenon, it is faced not only by dental students but also other health-care professionals. Ragging is one kind of teasing which is done by seniors to junior. It occurs mostly in the college. Ragging indulges the student in trouble. It involves abusing and harassing the newcomer of the college. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the perception about ragging among dental undergraduate students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 1st year dental students of 2018 batch of Saveetha Dental College, Chennai, . A self-administered questionnaire which assessed perceptions regarding ragging among dental students was the tool of data collection. Results: Most of the male (97%) and female (95%) participants did not experience ragging. About 45% of males and 58% of females responded in case of complaining about ragging, they will approach the dean, 30% of males and 20% of females responded in case of complaining about ragging, they will approach the Anti-Ragging Committee. Conclusion: Overall, awareness of ragging is not adequate. A prior education of students is utmost necessary. The provision of prior support for students may help to reduce anxiety among newcomers. There is a need to develop awareness among these students about various aspects of ragging and legal action against it.

KEY WORDS: Awareness, Dental undergraduate students, Perception, Ragging

INTRODUCTION police against the culprits if any violence, , sexual harassment, confinement, etc., takes The definition of ragging is updated as: “Any act place with any fresher. After receiving any such of physical or mental abuse (including bullying and complaint from the helpline, it becomes the duty exclusion) targeted at another student (fresher or of the head of the institution to register the F. I. R. otherwise) on the ground of color, race, religion, caste, with police within 24 h. In 2013, a police case was ethnicity, gender (including transgender), sexual registered against the director, dean, and registrar of orientation, appearance, nationality, regional origins, a reputed college in Delhi for, among other charges, linguistic identity, place of birth, place of residence, not informing the police and registering F. I. R. within or economic background.”[1] 24 h of receiving the ragging complaint (failing to inform a public authority, IPC 176). The aim of this Ragging is one kind of teasing which is done by study is to assess the perception about ragging among seniors to junior. It occurs mostly in the college. dental undergraduate students. Ragging indulges the student in trouble. It involves abusing and harassing the newcomer of the college. METHODS In 2009, the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India imposed regulation on Indian universities to A cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 help curb ragging and launched a toll-free anti-ragging 1st year dental students of 2018 batch of Saveetha helpline. It often takes a malignant form, wherein Dental College, Chennai, India. A self-administered the newcomers may be subjected to psychological semi-structured questionnaire was developed for the or physical .[2-4] As per UGC regulations, it is study by the investigators. The questionnaire had mandatory for a college to register an F. I. R. with eliciting information about their sociodemographic profile, and about their knowledge, experience, and Access this article online views about ragging. At the end of the session, they were asked for suggestions to maintain a ragging free Website: jprsolutions.info ISSN: 0975-7619 campus. They were further asked about measures

Department of Prosthodontics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, , India

*Corresponding author: Dr. Dhanraj Ganapathy, Department of Prosthodontics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, 162, Poonamallee High Road, Chennai - 600 077, Tamil Nadu, India. Phone: +91-9841504523. E-mail: [email protected]

Received on: 02-09-2019; Revised on: 05-10-2019; Accepted on: 10-12-2019

460 Drug Invention Today | Vol 13 • Issue 3 • 2020 S. Balamithra, et al.

Table 1: Awareness of ragging committed by an individual or a group of individuals Response variables Male (%) Female (%) over another individual or a group of individuals wherein the individual/individuals of the group first Experience of non-ragging 97 95 Resource person to complain mentioned, by virtue of him/her/their being senior against ragging to the individual/individuals of the group mentioned Dean 45 58 second, and somehow get the authority and audacity to Anti-Ragging Committee 30 20 commit the act of aggression; and the latter, by virtue Teachers 12 15 Warden 10 5 of their being new to the institution spontaneously Others 3 2 become victims. Any interaction which is aggressive and asymmetric is ragging.[5] The psychological effects include constant fear, loss of concentration, inferiority to curb the menace of ragging. The students were complex, and guilt due to decline in academic explained and informed regarding the purpose of performance and feeling of insecurity arising out of the study. The questionnaire was administered to financial exploitation.[6] Ragging needs to be perceived the consenting students after obtaining the requisite as our failure to inculcate human values from the permission from the head of the institution. The schooling stage behavioral patterns ragging must deter forms were given out and collected at the end of its recurrence connected action that is required at the session. level of the school, higher educational institution, district administration, university, state, and central RESULTS governments to make any curb effective media, and the [7] Most of the male (97%) and female (95%) participants civil society. Ragging is not harmless fun. Students did not experience ragging 45% of males and 58% come from different social and cultural backgrounds, of females responded in case of complaining about and what may be harmless fun for some may turn ragging, they will approach the dean, 30% of males serious human indignity for some other human being. and 20% of females responded in case of complaining There are number of cases, where some ragging about ragging, they will approach the Anti-Ragging becomes intolerable and it leads to loss of self-esteem. [8] Committee, 12% of males and 15% of females Ragging sometimes causes to loss of innocent lives. responded in case of complaining about ragging, they will approach the teachers, 10% of males and CONCLUSION 5% of females responded in case of complaining Overall awareness of ragging is not adequate. A about ragging, they will approach the warden and prior education of students is utmost necessary. The 3% of males and 2% of females responded in case of provision of prior support for students may help to complaining about ragging, and they will approach reduce anxiety among newcomers. There is a need others [Table 1]. to develop awareness among these students about various aspects of ragging and legal action against it. DISCUSSION Health professionals have the unique responsibility REFERENCES of promoting the development of community 1. Garg R. Ragging: A public health problem in India. Indian J initiatives for the prevention of bullying and related Med Sci 2009;63:263-71. health problems. Physicians need to be aware of the 2. Suryawanshi JV, Hazari M. Awareness and perception physical and psychosocial symptoms associated about ragging amongst medical undergraduate students: A cross-sectional study. Int J Community Med Public Health with ragging so that they can screen the children 2017;3:1119-22. involved and provide the support needed to develop 3. Lamb J, Pepler DJ, Craig W. 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