Mental Health Status of Medical Residents: A Cross-Sectional Study of Depression and Anxiety in a University Hospital
TL;DR
It is suggested that severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms among resident physicians are closely related to modifiable occupational and environmental factors and targeted interventions to improve these conditions are essential to support the mental well-being of physicians in training.
Abstract
This study aims to assess the severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms among medical residents in a university hospital and identify the factors associated with these symptoms. We expected depression and anxiety symptoms to be associated with working conditions, workplace relationships, and social functioning. This cross-sectional study included 283 medical residents at a university hospital who participated on a voluntary basis. Data were collected using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and a structured sociodemographic data form designed by the researchers. Significantly higher BDI and BAI scores were associated with female gender (p<0.001) and current use of psychiatric medication (p=0.029 and p=0.027, respectively). Key stressors identified included seeing more than 30 patients per day, finding the number of shifts excessive, and perceived inability to participate in social activities. Furthermore, negative workplace experiences -including exposure to threats, lack of peer support, poor relationships with superiors, and feeling unappreciated- were strongly correlated with increased psychological distress. Other contributing factors were overall workplace dissatisfaction, the desire to specialize in a different field, inadequate physical conditions, and a bleak professional outlook for one’s branch. Suicidal ideation during residency was specifically linked to higher depressive symptom severity (p<0.001). Lower professional experience and lower period of residency showed a significant negative correlation with anxiety scores (r=-0.177, p=0.003 and r=-0.146, p=0.014, respectively). In the adjusted regression models, female gender, fewer years of professional experience, current psychiatric medication use, and limited participation in social activities remained independently associated with higher BDI and BAI scores. These results suggest that severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms among resident physicians are closely related to modifiable occupational and environmental factors. Targeted interventions to improve these conditions are essential to support the mental well-being of physicians in training.