Health-related quality of life and happiness within an internal medicine residency training program: a longitudinal follow-up study

Specialty impact on residents' perceived quality of life, stress, and job satisfaction: a comparative study

Purpose

Specialty choice in residency training has a significant impact on an individual's career and satisfaction, as well as the supply-demand imbalance in the healthcare system. The current study aimed to investigate the quality of life (QOL), stress, self-confidence, and job satisfaction of residents, and to explore factors associated with such variables, including postgraduate year, sex, and especially specialty, through a cross-sectional survey.

Methods

An online survey was administered to residents at 2 affiliated teaching hospitals. The survey had a total of 46 items encompassing overall residency life such as workload, QOL, stress, confidence, relationship, harassment, and satisfaction. Related survey items were then reconstructed into 4 key categories through exploratory factor analysis for comparison according to group classification.

Results

The weekly work hours of residents in vital and other specialties were similar, but residents in vital specialties had significantly more on-call days per month. Residents in vital specialties had significantly lower scores for QOL and satisfaction. Specifically, vital-surgical residents had significantly lower QOL scores and higher stress scores than the other specialty groups. Satisfaction scores were also lowest among vital-surgical residents, with a marginal difference from vital-medical, and a significant difference from other-surgical residents. Female residents had significantly lower satisfaction scores than their male counterparts.

Conclusion

Residents in vital specialties, particularly vital-surgical specialties, experience significantly worse working conditions across multiple dimensions. It is necessary to improve not only the quantity but also the quality of the system in terms of resource allocation and prioritization.

The Relationship between Personality Traits with Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at One Medical School in Germany

Medical students are at increased risk of experiencing mental health problems. Certain personality traits may be associated with elevated vulnerability to study-related stress and poor mental health. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between such personality traits and mental health outcomes among medical students. We drew on cross-sectional data from 251 medical students who had been enrolled for one-year at a medical school in Germany. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) and suicidal ideation was assessed by item 9 from the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Personality traits were captured using the Business-Focused Inventory of Personality 6 Factors (BIP-6F). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to quantify the associations between work-related personality factors and mental health outcomes, controlling for demographic and social factors. Odds ratios (ORs) as outcome measures with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used. After controlling for important confounders, medical students who scored highly on Stability had lower odds of depressive symptoms (OR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.09–0.42, p < 0.001) and suicidality (OR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.16–0.87, p < 0.05) than those with high scores in other work-related personality factors. Findings also showed that those who scored highly on Dominance had greater odds of depressive symptoms (OR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.22–4.97), p < 0.01). Work-related personality-informed interventions, which promote students’ mental well-being and reduce academic stress should be considered at various stages of their medical training.