Impact of stress and burnout on the sexual desire of trainee doctors at Hôtel-Dieu de France hospital: A single-institution survey

Relationship between sexual dysfunction and burnout among physicians in primary hospital: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The relationship between sexual dysfunction and burnout among physicians remains unclear.

AIM

To investigate the frequency of sexual dysfunction among physicians in primary hospital and explore the association between sexual dysfunction and burnout.

METHODS

This study was a cross-sectional survey conducted through a questionnaire. We used the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale and the Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey to assess sexual function and burnout among physicians in primary hospital. Considering the working environment of physicians, we also evaluated the doctor-patient relationship and sleep quality.

OUTCOMES

Over one-third of physicians experience sexual dysfunction. Burnout is a significant factor to sexual dysfunction among medical professionals.

RESULTS

A total of 382 doctors participated in this survey, and the prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 33.51%. Sexual arousal and orgasm were the main sexual dysfunctions faced by male and female doctors, respectively. The prevalence of burnout among physicians was 43.72%. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction among physicians experiencing burnout (45.51%) was higher than that observed in physicians without burnout (24.19%). Physicians with burnout exhibited significantly higher total and individual scores on the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale as compared with physicians without burnout (all P values <.05). There was a significant positive correlation between depersonalization and sexual drive (r = 0.508, P < .001), sexual arousal (r = 0.521, P < .001), lubrication (r = 0.432, P < .001), orgasm/erection (r = 0.420, P < .001), and sexual satisfaction (r = 0.434, P < .001). Logistic regression analysis confirmed that-in addition to burnout-older age, dissatisfaction with income, a poor doctor-patient relationship, and poor sleep were significant contributors to sexual dysfunction among physicians in primary hospitals.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Sexual health is an integral aspect of well-being. Prioritizing the sexual health of medical professionals can significantly contribute to improving their productivity.

STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS

First, our sample size was small, and the impact of different specialties on sexual functioning was somewhat overlooked. Second, we lacked laboratory data (eg, testosterone and prolactin levels) that could provide substantial support to sexual identification. Finally, although we used logistic regression to establish causality, the relationship between sexual dysfunction and certain factors may be bidirectional.

CONCLUSIONS

The issue of sexual dysfunction among doctors needs more attention. We should make targeted efforts to improve the quality of physicians' sexual lives.

Burnout rates among Lebanese pre-final and final year medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multi-centered survey-based study

BACKGROUND

Burnout among medical students has always been a major concern.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate changes in the prevalence rates of burnout among Lebanese pre-final and final year medical students while taking into consideration the impact of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) on both the academical and clinical experiences.

METHODS

This is a multi-centered, survey-based, cross-sectional study conducted in October 2021. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory questionnaire was used on 120 medical students from three different medical schools in Lebanon.

RESULTS

The overall burnout prevalence was 40.01%. When further dividing it into domains, 39.36% of students had personal burnout, 41.52% had work-related burnout, and 39.16% had pandemic-related burnout. Theoretical learning and clinical training were reported to be affected in respectively 66.70% and 71.70%. However, only 10.00% of the students have regretted choosing medicine and 67.50% felt comfortable to get to the next academic level.

CONCLUSION

High levels of burnout were reported among pre-final and final year medical students with a subsequent negative impact on their academic life and clinical training. Medical schools should start adopting a conscious view of how to guide medical students in finding adequate coping mechanisms during these times of crisis.

Anxiety and sleep quality in a sample of Lebanese healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak

A cross-sectional, survey based study was conducted in order to assess mental health outcomes among healthcare workers in a private university hospital involved in the COVID-19 response in Lebanon. The main objective was to quantify symptoms of anxiety and sleep quality using self-rating scales (the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) respectively), while identifying factors that might affect those symptoms. A total of 628 healthcare workers completed the survey; 409 (66.2%) were younger than 40 years, and 441 (71.4%) were women. Of all participants, 503 (81.4%) were nurses, 52 (8.4%) were physicians and 63 (10.2%) were residents. Registered nurses, residents, women, and younger participants presented higher scores on both scales than other categories of participants. Among factors related with COVID-19, those associated with higher scores were having relatives affected by the virus (22.2%), being excessively exposed to media (12.9%), and increasing the consumption of substances/alcohol (31.2%) during this period. Factors associated with higher risk of anxiety symptoms after multivariable logistic regression analysis were: female sex, young age, poor sleep quality, and living with elderly. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the psychological wellbeing of health care workers involved in the acute COVID-19 outbreak in Lebanon.

Anxiety and depression in young physicians: Prevalence and associated factors. The MESSIAEN national study

BACKGROUND

Physicians are at risk of anxiety and depression.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression in a national sample of young physicians and their associated factors.

METHODS

The study is a cross-sectional observational epidemiological national study. An online anonymous questionnaire was administered to the young physicians of all French medical faculties. Anxiety and depression were assessed with the Hamilton Anxiety & Depression scale subscores for anxiety and depression. Psychotropic drug consumption, psychotherapy follow-up and other variables were self-declared.

RESULTS

Of the 2003 study participants, 32.3% reported a current anxiety disorder and 8.7% a current major depressive disorder according to their HAD scores and less than one on five of them was followed-up in psychotherapy or treated by antidepressant. Moral harassment, a bad quality of initial formation regarding dealing with disease and alcohol consumption were all associated with respectively anxiety disorder and major depression in multivariate analyses. Medical vocation was specifically associated with decreased major depression while being woman and increased coffee consumption were specifically associated with increased anxiety disorders.

CONCLUSION

Almost one third of medical students reported anxiety disorder or major depression and less than one on five received the recommended treatment (psychotherapy or antidepressant). The prevention and treatment of psychiatric disorders should be improved in this population. Moral harassment exposure, alcohol and coffee consumptions, bad quality of initial formation regarding dealing with disease have been identified as modifiable factors associated with poor mental health. Despite the absence of causal associations, these results yield some clues to guide future mental health prevention strategies in this population.

Changes in Sexual Desire in Women and Their Partners during Pregnancy

When studying sexual desire during pregnancy, most research focuses on the pregnant woman’s sexual desire and almost never takes into account her sexual partner. The novelty of this study is that sexual desire during pregnancy is studied from the point of view of the pregnant woman and from that of her male partner. The goal of this study is to see how sexual desire behaves during pregnancy in both partners. For this, a descriptive, longitudinal, and multistage study was designed. Methodologically, in the first stage, the different study variables were described through a single-variate analysis. In the second stage, one variable was related to others by means of a bivariate analysis. Finally, in the third stage, a multivariate analysis was done, composed of binary logistic regression models and latent growth curves. The results confirm that pregnancy influences the sexual desire of both partners, and that sexual desire behaves differently in women than in men during pregnancy. Men have higher levels of sexual desire throughout pregnancy as compared to women. The first trimester of pregnancy is the period when women have less sexual desire.