Individual and residency program factors related to depression, anxiety and burnout in physician residents – a Brazilian survey

Abstract

Background: Psychological distress is common among medical trainees. This study aimed to assess the frequency of depression, anxiety and burnout among physician residents and their association with both individual and residency program-related factors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study applying an online survey in a national-wide sample of medical residents from Brazil. Depression, anxiety, burnout and diurnal somnolence were assessed with validated tools (Patient Health Questionnaire-4, 2 items version of Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale). Socio-demographic and residency program-related factors were measured with internally validated instruments. We performed multivariate binary logistic regression analysis for each of the main outcomes. Results: Screening for depression, anxiety and burnout was positive respectively in 46.9%, 56.6% and 37.0% of our sample (n = 1,419). Depression was independently related to female sex, longer duty hours, absence of day off, poor learning perception, poor feeling about the residency program, overall occurrence of psychological abuse, anxiety, diurnal somnolence and burnout (AUROC =.859 [95%CI =.840-.878], p