Effect of stress coping ability and working hours on burnout among residents

About half of the Japanese residents were judged as having burnout as early as the third month of training under regulations of working 40 h per week. Individual stress coping ability and working hours were found to be significant factors for burnout. Residents with high stress coping ability exhibited more personal efficacy with more working experiences, which suggests that the SOC scale could be a valuable tool to help foster a suitable training environment.