Risky alcohol use in Danish physicians: Associated with alexithymia and burnout?

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Alcohol abuse is linked to psychological issues, impacting physician well-being and patient safety.
• Understanding the prevalence and psychological associations of physician alcohol abuse is crucial for intervention.
• Physician burnout and alexithymia are potential contributing factors to risky alcohol consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between burnout and alexithymia with risky alcohol consumption in physicians.
• To determine if burnout mediates the relationship between alexithymia and risky alcohol consumption.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 1,841 physicians (46% response rate).
• Utilized electronic questionnaires including the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS), and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20).

Main Results:

• 18.8% of physicians met criteria for risky alcohol consumption.
• High alexithymia (OR=1.93) and burnout (OR=1.86) were significantly associated with risky alcohol consumption.
• All burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, low personal accomplishment) were linked to increased risky drinking; depersonalization partially mediated the alexithymia-alcohol consumption link.

Conclusions:

• Physician risky alcohol consumption is associated with alexithymia and burnout.
• Depersonalization plays a mediating role in the relationship between alexithymia and risky drinking.
• Interventions should focus on enhancing emotional self-awareness in physicians to address self-reinforcing cycles of psychological distress and alcohol dependence, potentially improving patient safety.