Author/Authors :
Soraya Shiva Spiritual Health Research Center - Iran University of Medical Sciences - Tehran, Iran , Seddigh Ruohollah Spiritual Health Research Center - Iran University of Medical Sciences - Tehran, Iran , Haghshenas Mandana School of Medicine - Iran University of Medical Sciences - Tehran, Iran , Hashemkhani Nasibeh School of Medicine - Iran University of Medical Sciences - Tehran, Iran , Keshavarz-Akhlaghi AmirAbbas School of Medicine - Iran University of Medical Sciences - Tehran, Iran , Mousavi Ahmad School of Medicine - Iran University of Medical Sciences - Tehran, Iran
Abstract :
The present study was conducted to compare occupational burnout scores and determine their correlation with
different dimensions of Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) questionnaire among psychiatry, internal medicine, and surgery
residents during the academic year 2013-14.
Methods: In this cross sectional analytical study, 201 residents were recruited. Colinger's 125-item TCI and Maslach's Burnout
Inventory were completed by residents. The mean severity of burnout and the mean scores in the subgroups of temperament and
character were compared between the 3 groups of residents, and the correlations were calculated. Data were analyzed using SPSS
software version 16. Also, A 2-sided p value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: A significant positive correlation was found between severity of burnout and harm avoidance in internal medicine residents
(r=0.7, p<0.001). Also, a significant correlation was found between severity of burnout and self-directedness in surgery residents
(r=0.5, p=0.003), self-transcendence in internal medicine residents (r=0.04, p=0.009), and persistence in internal medicine (r=0.17,
p=0.003) and surgery residents (r=0.10, p=0.004). A significant correlation was found between frequency of burnout and harm
avoidance in internal medicine residents (r=0.6, p=0.001), self-directedness in surgery residents (r=0.9, p<0.001), persistence in
surgery (r=0.14, p<0.001) and psychiatry residents (r=0.19, p<0.001), and finally self-transcendence in internal medicine residents
(r=0.6, p<0.001).
Conclusion: Dimensions of character were different among surgery, internal medicine, and psychiatry residents. Likewise, the
severity of burnout was different among them according to personality traits. Occupational burnout appears to be less if personality
traits match the chosen specialty.