Explaining Job Satisfaction Among Residents in Standardized Residency Training Programs: A Serial Multiple Mediation...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Occupational Health
• Psychology

Background:

• Limited research explores the mechanisms linking social support to job satisfaction.
• This study investigates the indirect pathways through which social support affects job satisfaction.
• Focuses on residents in China's standardized physician residency training program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the indirect effect of social support on job satisfaction.
• To assess the mediating roles of emotional exhaustion and anxiety symptoms.
• To understand the influence of social support on physician residents' well-being and job satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study utilizing questionnaires for data collection.
• Employed PROCESS macro for SPSS and bootstrapping to analyze indirect effects.
• Examined a serial multiple mediation model: social support → emotional exhaustion/anxiety symptoms → job satisfaction.

Main Results:

• A total of 269 residents completed the survey.
• Social support significantly and indirectly influenced job satisfaction (ab=0.21).
• Specific indirect effects were found through emotional exhaustion (a1b1=0.12) and anxiety symptoms (a2b2=0.07), and a serial effect through both (a1a3b2=0.03).

Conclusions:

• Developing a supportive work environment is critical for hospital management.
• Interventions should aim to mitigate emotional exhaustion and anxiety symptoms.
• Sufficient social support is key to enhancing job satisfaction among resident physicians.