The relationship between residentsʼ characteristics, their stress experiences, and their psychosocial adjustment at one medical school

Abstract

Empirical research focused on the stressful aspects of residency training has largely ignored the interactions between residents' psychosocial and demographic characteristics, stressful experiences, emotional responsivity, and coping styles. This article presents the results of a questionnaire, completed by 165 residents, that consisted of the Profile of Mood States, the Hassles Scale, the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, and a series of questions regarding demographic data, social support system features, and residency stress factors. The residents reported that time demands and indebtedness were the major sources of stress in their residency programs. Social support variables were significantly related to the degrees to which the residents successfully coped with daily stress factors. While the women residents reported higher stress levels than did the men, they did not report higher levels of emotional distress. Finally, the lengths of time residents had spent in training were significantly related to the levels of their mood disturbances and daily hassles.