16. STRESS, BURNOUT, AND HELP-SEEKING BEHAVIOR AMONG PEDIATRIC FELLOWS

Abstract

Burnout is highly prevalent among graduate medical trainees and is often associated with serious personal and professional consequences. While burnout among medical students and residents has been studied, few studies have examined burnout among fellowship trainees. We measured rates of stress and burnout among fellows in our freestanding children's hospital and evaluated fellows’ perceptions of stigma around, and willingness to seek treatment for, mental illness. Objectives 1)To measure burnout among pediatric fellowship trainees using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) 2)To assess fellows’ perceptions of stigma around help-seeking for mental illness 3)To examine the relationship between burnout and willingness to seek help for emotional distress Methods We distributed a 48-item inventory to all 288 fellows in our pediatric center. Survey items included the MBI in addition to questions measuring professional fulfillment and attitudes toward mental health treatment. Stress, burnout, and professional fulfillment were measured with descriptive statistics. Pearson correlations were used to associate burnout variables with willingness to seek mental health treatment. Results 152 fellows (52%) responded to the inventory in its entirety. Fellows reported high levels of stress (7 on a 10-point scale). On the MBI, they reported moderate levels of exhaustion, low levels of cynicism, and high levels of personal accomplishment. They did not perceive stigma around seeking mental health treatment, and most noted that they would “probably go” to a mental health professional if needed. However, high scores in the domains of exhaustion and cynicism were associated with lower likelihood of help-seeking, while high scores in the domain of personal accomplishment were associated with a higher likelihood of help-seeking. Conclusion High levels of stress alone are not directly correlated to high rates of burnout among fellowship trainees in our center. Our findings also indicate that fellows who score highly in the negative domains of the MBI are less likely to seek help for their distress, making them a particularly at-risk population.