Factors associated with stress among emergency medicine residents

A survey of members of the Emergency Medicine Residents Association was conducted to investigate the occupational stress and depression experienced by this group. The 488 respondents provided demographic information and completed measures of stress and depression. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed statistically significant differences in stress and depression by year of training (P less than .001), gender (P less than .01), and marital status (P less than .01). Univariate analyses of variance revealed overall differences in both stress and depression. Mean levels of stress and depression were higher for women residents, and unmarried residents reported more depressive symptomatology. The results indicate that women emergency medicine residents experience more stress and depression than men and that spouses can buffer some of the stress of residency training for men and women residents. No significant differences in stress or depression by year in training were revealed by univariate analysis of variance, which suggests that residents experience stress throughout the course of training. The similarities and differences in the occupational stress and depression experienced by emergency medicine residents in comparison with residents from other specialties suggest that additional study in emergency medicine is warranted.