Psychosocia l and Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Burnout Among Medical Residents of Sonora, Mexico

Introduction: The simultaneity of activities between academic demands and medical training during residencies is a high risk of developing burnout syndrome (BS) among resident physicians, which decreases their quality of life. This study aimed to identify the psychosocial and sociodemographic factors associated with BS among resident physicians from a public hospital. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional and correlational study involved 47 resident physicians. The Occupational Burnout Scale (EDO), the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form, and a sociodemographic questionnaire were applied. The data were analyzed by using nonparametric Spearman’s correlation test. Results: We found that 25.6% of the participants had a high level of burnout, while 51% showed a high level of emotional exhaustion. Regarding personality and sociodemographic factors associated with BS, only the impulsivity scale (r = 0.341, p = 0.019) and the hours of exercise performed in a week (r = −0.414, p = 0.004) showed a significant relationship (p < 0.05). When segmented by sex, a relationship between BS and psychoticism (r = 0.468, p = 0.018), decreased physical activity (r = −0.620, p = 0.001), and first years of residence (r = −0.396, p = 0.050) were noted only in men. Conclusions: A high level of emotional exhaustion was evidenced among the medical residents in relation to the development of their activities, which were associated with problems in the management of impulses, distortions of reality (due to psychoticism), belonging to the first years of residency, and the lack of physical exercise. Hence, special attention must be[...]