Psychological inflexibility and anxiety among house officers in a hospital in Selangor, Malaysia.

Background: Anxiety is common among house officers. Psychological inflexibility increases the risk of anxiety. This study aimed to determine the associations between anxiety and sociodemographic factors, work-related variables, and psychological inflexibility, and to identify predictors for anxiety among house officers in a hospital in Malaysia.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. House officers were recruited from seven departments (general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, emergency, anaesthesiology, and psychiatry) between December 2023 and March 2024 using convenience sampling. Participants were asked to rate their levels of psychological flexibility (using the seven-item Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II) and anxiety (using the seven-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale [AAQ-II]), as well as their perceived factors for anxiety.

Results: In total, 43 male and 95 female participants (mean age, 27.5 years) were included in the analysis. Of the 138 participants, 75 (54.3%) were classified as having anxiety. Participants with anxiety were more likely to have a psychiatric condition (10.7% vs 1.6%, p=0.031), work more hours per week (73.95 vs 67.84, p=0.017), and have higher AAQ-II scores (31.61 vs 19.63, p<0.001). Common factors that the house officers perceived to be associated with anxiety included poor work-life balance (85.5%), hospital bureaucracy (77.5%), and performance pressure (73.9%). Predictors for anxiety were the AAQ-II score (adjusted odds ratio=1.19, p<0.001) and working hours per week (adjusted odds ratio=1.04, p=0.034).

Conclusion: Psychological inflexibility and excessive working hours are predictors for anxiety among house officers in a hospital in Malaysia.