Burnout among psychiatry residents in tunisia

Abstract

Introduction Psychiatry residency training is a stressful transitional period for young doctors who are faced with challenging patients, increased clinical responsibility coupled with lack of clinical experience, and on-call obligations, leaving them at high risk of burnout. Objectives To assess the frequency of burnout among psychiatric trainees, and to identify factors associated with severe burnout. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey among psychiatry residents working in Tunisian hospitals. Participants completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to assess burnout. Results Forty residents completed the survey. The average age was 28.08 ± 2.433. The majority of the participants (87.5%) were females, 27.5% were married and 17.5% had kids. One fifth of the residents were smokers, 22.5 % used alcohol and 5% used cannabis. History of psychiatric disorder was reported by 35% of the participants (depression 15%, anxiety 17.5%, bipolar disorder 2.5%). Half of participants were first year residents and 75% had psychiatry as their first-choice specialty. The majority (72.5%) declared working in poor conditions. Overall, 37.5% of the participants met the criteria for severe burnout. Female gender and poor conditions of the workplace were significantly associated with burnout symptoms (p=0.007 and p=0.014 respectively). Conclusions Attention to burnout during residency is important, given the potential to implement preventive and management strategies on time for physicians’ to promote wellness and avoid severe consequences. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Keywords

• burnout
• psychiatry
• residents