Determination of Depression Levels and Affecting Factors of the Residents in a Training Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Residency training may lead to the development of depressive conditions with possible academic and professional consequences. We determined the levels of depression in resident medical doctors (RMDs) and assess the factors influencing depression. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted on RMDs working in tertiary research hospital in İstanbul. Participation in the study was voluntary. A questionnaire was distributed to the RMDs participating in the study, and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was used to measure depression levels. This study was presented as a paper at the 5th Eurasian Congress on Emergency Medicine and 12th Turkish Emergency Medicine Congress, November 10-13, 2016 (Antalya, Turkey). Results: A total of 161 RMDs were included in the study (participation rate: 68.8%). Of the RMDs, 65 (40.4%) had depressive symptoms (BDI-II >13). An exploratory analysis of possible risk factors showed that working night shifts, length of residency, and department in which the resident worked were factors for the development of depressive symptoms. There was no association between BDI-II scores and age, gender, marital status, number of children, living alone, recent loss of a loved one, presence of chronic illness, diagnosis of depression, or use of antidepressant medication. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among RMDs, especially night workers, who have less experience in their residency. Active assessment of these RMDs to evaluate their depressive symptoms is important. Preventive measures and educational programmes to improve working conditions need to be reviewed.

Keywords

• resident doctors
• depression
• beck depression inventory