Gender differences in cardiac autonomic modulation during medical internship

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Psychiatry
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Medical internships involve high stress and long hours, increasing risks for depression and cardiovascular disease.
• Previous research has not detailed gender-specific cardiovascular risks during medical internships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gender differences in cardiovascular risk and depressive symptoms among medical interns.
• To analyze changes in heart rate variability (HRV) and depression scores throughout the internship period.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study involving 38 medical interns (29 males).
• Repeated assessments of depressive symptoms using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
• 5-minute spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) conducted at 3-month intervals.

Main Results:

• Male interns exhibited decreased heart rate variance at 6, 9, and 12 months.
• Reduced cardiac parasympathetic modulation (indicated by lower high-frequency HRV) was observed in males at 9 and 12 months.
• Male interns reported increased depressive symptoms at 12 months; no significant changes were found in female interns.

Conclusions:

• Male medical interns may experience significant cardiovascular autonomic regulation changes and increased depression during their internship.
• Female interns did not show similar detrimental changes in HRV or depressive symptoms.
• Findings highlight potential gender-specific vulnerabilities to internship stress impacting intern health.