Effect of call organization on burnout and quality of life in psychiatry residents

Factors Contributing to Stress and Well-Being Among Trainee Psychiatrists in Victoria, Australia

Doctors in training experience stress, as they balance the demands of working and studying at the same time. As evidenced by reports of suicides among trainee doctors, it is clear that the level of stress they experience is dangerously high. Long working hours, which can lead to exhaustion, burnout, and time taken away from meaningful activities and relationships outside of work, are a large contributor to trainee stress and increase the likelihood of mental illness and suicidal ideation. For psychiatry trainees, this workload burden is also compounded by a high emotional burden associated with the nature of their work, including patient suicides, aggression, and threats. This study sought to investigate the factors that contribute to the stress and well-being of psychiatry trainees, through in-depth interviews analyzed via qualitative, template analysis. The main sources of stress identified were workload, aspects related to the psychiatry training program, and workplace-based aggression. Supervision, external supports such as family and health professionals, and distraction or "switching off" were the main sources of well-being support. Overall, this study highlighted the importance of structural factors in the workplace and training program in psychiatry trainee stress and well-being levels. Workload and training commitments limited the amount of time trainees could devote to well-being-related activities, despite their awareness of these. This study contributes useful insights into how we can better look after the mental health and well-being of psychiatry trainees, as future leaders of our mental health system.

Presence of a psychiatric patient at home and work fatigue in family caregivers: The moderating effect of spirituality

OBJECTIVES

To assess the association between the mental health of caregivers having a psychiatric patient at home and work fatigue, and if this association is moderated by spirituality.

METHODS

This case-control study enrolled 600 caregivers (July-September 2019).

RESULTS

Stress, anxiety, insomnia and the presence of a psychiatric patient at home were associated with higher levels of physical, mental, and emotional work fatigue. In the case of caregivers who have a psychiatric patient at home, those with low spirituality had more mental and emotional work fatigue.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Healthcare professionals should enlighten caregivers more on the risks and the consequences of their job, assist them with information on what to expect, and teach them how to normalize feelings that they may face.

Burnout and associated factors in psychiatry residents: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to systematically review extant data on the prevalence of burnout amongst psychiatry residents, examine the contributory factors, and consider potential ways to manage burnout.

METHODS

A systematic literature review was conducted on all relevant articles within Pubmed/OVID Medline and ScienceDirect digital databases from January 2000 till March 2019 that investigated burnout in psychiatry residents. Variables of interest included questionnaires used to assess burnout, the prevalence of burnout, and its clinical correlates. Articles were included if they were observational or experimental studies and involved a sample consisting solely of or a subsample of psychiatry residents. The data are summarised and presented as a narrative synthesis.

RESULTS

Twenty-two studies were included. The overall prevalence of burnout among psychiatry residents was 33.7%, which was associated with certain demographic (non-parental status), training (juniors years of training, lower priority of psychiatry as career choice, lack of clinical supervision, discontinuation from training), work (high workload, long hours, insufficient rest), and learner factors (more stressors, greater anxiety, and depressive symptoms, low self-efficacy, decreased empathic capacity, poor coping, self- medication, and use of mental health services).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that interventions such as refining candidate selection, enforcement of work hour limits, enhancement of support and supervision, and equipping of stress coping skills may ameliorate burnout related to training, work, and learner factors respectively. These findings and suggestions may apply to other residency programs. However, future studies should examine burnout longitudinally and evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions in reducing burnout within psychiatry residents.