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Cited by 125Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnoutStress and Burnout ResearchCOVID-19 and Mental Health

Stress from uncertainty and resilience among depressed and burned out residents: a cross-sectional study

Simpkin, Arabella L., Khan, Alisa, West, Daniel C., Garcia, Briana M., Sectish, Theodore C., Spector, Nancy D., Landrigan, Christopher P.·2018·Academic Pediatrics
DOI 10.1016/j.acap.2018.03.002
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Abstract

Background Depression and burnout are highly prevalent among residents, but little is known about modifiable personality variables, such as resilience and stress from uncertainty, that may predispose to these conditions. Residents are routinely faced with uncertainty when making medical decisions.Objective To determine how stress from uncertainty is related to resilience among pediatric residents and whether these attributes are associated with depression and burnout.Methods We surveyed 86 residents in pediatric residency programs from 4 urban freestanding children's hospitals in North America in 2015. Stress from uncertainty was measured with the use of the Physicians' Reaction to Uncertainty Scale, resilience with the use of the 14-item Resilience Scale, depression with the use of the Harvard National Depression Screening Scale; and burnout with the use of single-item measures of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization from the Maslach Burnout Inventory.Results Fifty out of 86 residents responded to the survey (58.1%). Higher levels of stress from uncertainty correlated with lower resilience (r = -0.60; P < .001). Five residents (10%) met depression criteria and 15 residents (31%) met burnout criteria. Depressed residents had higher mean levels of stress due to uncertainty (51.6 ± 9.1 vs 38.7 ± 6.7; P < .001) and lower mean levels of resilience (56.6 ± 10.7 vs 85.4 ± 8.0; P < .001) compared with residents who were not depressed. Burned out residents also had higher mean levels of stress due to uncertainty (44.0 ± 8.5 vs 38.3 ± 7.1; P = .02) and lower mean levels of resilience (76.7 ± 14.8 vs 85.0 ± 9.77; P = .02) compared with residents who were not burned out.Conclusions We found high levels of stress from uncertainty, and low levels of resilience were strongly correlated with depression and burnout. Efforts to enhance tolerance of uncertainty and resilience among residents may provide opportunities to mitigate resident depression and burnout.

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Authors
Simpkin, A. L., Khan, A., West, D. C., Garcia, B. M., Sectish, T. C., Spector, N. D., & Landrigan, C. P.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Boston Children's Hospital (US)
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • Drexel University (US)
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
Corresponding author
Simpkin, Arabella L.
ORCID
Venue
Academic Pediatrics
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-08
Volume
18
Issue
6
Pages
698-704
ISSN
1876-2859 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.acap.2018.03.002
OpenAlex
W2776240974
Cited by
125
References
71
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 5
FWCI
19.09
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Academic Pediatrics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (CDR-1306-03556)
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality K12 (K12HS022986)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
Keywords
resilience, depression, burnout, pediatric residents, medical residents, uncertainty tolerance, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, physician well-being
MeSH terms
Adult, Burnout, Professional, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depression, Female, Hospitals, Pediatric, Humans, Internship and Residency, Male, North America, Pediatrics, Physicians, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Uncertainty, Resilience, Psychological

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