Citation

van der Heijden FMMA, Dillingh G, Bakker A, Prins J. Arch. Suicide Res. 2008; 12(4): 344-346.

Affiliation

Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry, Venray, The Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, International Academy of Suicide Research, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13811110802325349

PMID

18828037

Abstract

Objectives: Recent research showed that medical residents have a high risk for developing burnout. The present study investigates the prevalence of burnout and its relationship with suicidal thoughts among medical residents. Methods: All Dutch medical residents (n = 5126) received a self-report questionnaire. Burnout was measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Residents were asked about the frequency of suicidal thoughts. Results: Response rate was 41.3% (n = 2115). 432 Residents (20.6%) were classified as burnout. 12% reported having suicidal thoughts at least 1 time during their residency, and 1% many times. Suicidal thoughts were substantially more prevalent in the group with burnout in comparison to non-burnout (20.5% vs. 7.6%; chi(2) = 182.9, p < .001). Conclusion: Knowledge about the relationship between burnout and suicidal thoughts among these young medical professionals could be important for suicide prevention.

Language: en