Influence of the burnout syndrome and sociodemographic characteristics in the levels of depression of medical residents of a general hospital

Introduction: Depression and burnout among medical residents is a serious and common entity. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the influence of burnout syndrome and sociodemographic characteristics on depression levels of medical residents of a general hospital in Peru. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on residents of a general hospital in Peru. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were used to 145 resident physicians. Results: 27,6% had mild depressive symptoms, 13,8% moderate, and 5,5% moderately severe. The prevalence of burnout syndrome was 9,65%. The total of the PHQ-9 correlated positively with the total score of the MBI (ρ=0.707, P<0.01). The multiple regression analysis with the total score of the PHQ-9 as the explained variable showed the existence of a relation between it and the variables living alone, personal accomplishment, being single, and emotional exhaustion. Conclusions: Emotional exhaustion, living alone, and a low personal accomplishment increase the levels of depressive symptoms, while being single decreases it.