A Cross-sectional Study Regarding Stress, Satisfaction and Coping Strategies Among Resident Doctors

Residency is the period of acquiring skills, practical knowledge and learning to prepare oneself for a professional career ahead. Residents go through varying degrees of stress during the period of residency.

To study levels of stress, satisfaction and coping strategies in resident doctors at a Tertiary Referral Hospital.

Crosssectional study at a Tertiary Referral Hospital.

The study was conducted on 150 resident doctors from 11 clinical specialities with permission from Institutional Ethics Committee. The modified version of the Health Consultant's Job Stress and Satisfaction questionnaire was administered.

Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were computed using SPSS statistical software (version 23).

High levels of stress were reported by 86.67% of the resident doctors. High stress was due to inadequacy of equipment (74%). High satisfaction was reported by 84.67% of resident doctors. The highest source of satisfaction was having good relations with patients (82.67%). Marital status and speciality were the main factors affecting level of stress; married being more stressed, and there was variation in sources of stress between the clinical specialities. Most residents used healthy coping mechanisms but many also used unhealthy methods (eating unhealthy food: 27%, alcohol use: 6%, smoking: 3%).

Although a significant number of residents report to have high stress, a large number reports high satisfaction with their job. These study findings will be useful to plan suitable stress-management interventions and policies for resident doctors who form the backbone of our healthcare system.