Loneliness, burnout, and other types of emotional distress among family medicine physicians: Results from a national survey

Abstract

Purpose: This study assessed the prevalence of loneliness, burnout, and depressive symptoms from a national sample of family medicine physicians. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 401 physicians who were members of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and AAFP National Research Network between December 7, 2019, and January 20, 2020. The study participants completed an anonymous, 30-item survey measuring loneliness, burnout, symptoms of depression, fatigue, in addition to providing demographic information. Results: The response rates were 16.3% (401 of 2456) for all the physicians, 7.0% (113 of 1606) for the AAFP NRN member physicians, and 33.9% (288 of 850) for the AAFP member insight physicians. The prevalence of loneliness, burnout, and depressive symptoms was 44.9% (165 of 367), 45.1% (181 of 401), and 44.3% (163 of 368) respectively. The physicians who experienced a greater feeling of loneliness compared with those who experienced a lesser feeling of loneliness were more likely to report at least 1 manifestation of burnout (69.1% vs 27.4%, P.01), screen positive for depression (66.0% vs 27.6%, P.01), and experience a higher degree of fatigue (59.5% vs 32.4%, P.01). Depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR]=5.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.64-7.94; P.001), overwhelming exhaustion (OR=7.19; 95% CI, 4.03 to 12.02; P.001), and burnout (OR=4.61; 95% CI, 2.96-7.19; P.001) were associated with loneliness status. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that loneliness is common in practicing family medicine physicians and is significantly associated with burnout and depression. Future work is needed to understand the various interactions and relationships among loneliness, burnout, and depression to help inform effective interventions. ( J Am Board Fam Med 2021;34:531 541.).