Influence of SOC on the Mental Health Status of Postgraduate Trainee Dentists in Japan

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this research is to examine whether dental trainees’ stress-coping ability and health-maintenance capability affect their mental health during training. Methods: Trainee dentists who began their postgraduate clinical training for one year in 2010 (n = 60) and 2011 (n = 64) at Kyushu University Hospital were eligible to participate in the study. The questionnaire survey was conducted five times throughout the training year using the 13-item Sense of Coherence (SOC-13), the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), and the 22-item Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ-22). Results: A 107 trainee dentists were completed (female n = 48, male n = 59). We identified the influence of SOC on the mental health status of postgraduate trainee dentists; that is, trainee dentists with high SOC showed favorable mental health, whereas those with low SOC showed poor mental health during the training. Concerning work conditions, trainee dentists with high SOC had adequate support from their supervisors and coworkers. Conclusion: This study showed the possibility of applying SOC for predicting the mental health status of trainee dentists. The results also suggest the need to introduce a solid support system from the early stages of training, in order to achieve the effects of mental health support for trainee dentists with low SOC.