AI Article Synopsis
- Junior doctors in Australia face significant stress and mental health challenges, influenced by professional hierarchies, occupational stress, and emotional labor during their training.
- A qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with 12 junior medical officers revealed four interrelated themes impacting their mental health: professional hierarchies, occupational stress, emotional labor, and the burden of taking distress home.
- The research emphasizes the complexity of junior doctors' experiences, highlighting the need for better support systems and strategies to improve their mental well-being, considering the social and organizational factors at play.
Article Abstract
Background: Medical practitioners can experience considerable stress and poor mental health during their careers, with doctors in training known to be particularly vulnerable. Previous research has documented work-related factors that may play a role in the mental health status of junior doctors. However, these and additional factors, need to be explored further by considering theory-driven, social, structural and contextual issues. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of junior doctors working in Australian hospitals to identify factors that impact their mental health during medical training.
Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 junior medical officers (JMOs) employed across six hospitals in Australia. Transcribed de-identified interviews were analysed thematically using a data-driven inductive approach.
Results: Four interrelated main themes were identified: i) professional hierarchies; ii) occupational stress; iii) emotional labour, and iv) taking distress home; which detail the complex affective, relational and professional experiences of JMOs. The accounts demonstrate how the social, professional and organisational dimensions of these experiences impact upon trainee's well-being and mental health, both positively and negatively. Together, the findings document the dynamic, nuanced aspects of junior doctors' experiences of medical training and practice and highlights the importance of relational connections and the workplace environment in shaping JMOs' social and emotional well-being.
Conclusion: The current study adds to the understanding of how junior doctors navigate medical training in Australian hospitals and highlights the complexities of this experience, particularly the ways in which mental health and well-being are shaped by different elements. These findings have important implications to inform new strategies to improve JMO mental health and to leverage work and non-work contexts to better support JMOs during medical training.
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|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8672528 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-07381-5 | DOI Listing |
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