Relationship between psychosocial factors and cardiovascular autonomic function among junior doctors: A cross-sectional study

Background Psychosocial factors such as stress, anxiety, and depression, are important causes of CVD by contributing to autonomic dysfunction, predisposing to endothelial dysfunction, arrhythmogenesis, among others. Doctors are at a high risk of psychosocial distress due to factors such as heavy workload and taking end-of-life care decisions. Junior doctors are at the forefront of daily medical care and are exposed regularly to this risk. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among junior doctors in the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital from April to August 2023. Data were collected using an electronic questionnaire and a treadmill stress test. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale -21 items (DASS-21) was incorporated into the questionnaire to assess depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms. Cardiovascular autonomic function was determined by heart rate recovery, chronotropic index and the index of resting heart rate/heart rate recovery in the 1st minute. The data collected were analysed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24, using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results 244 junior doctors participated in the study, with a mean age of 31.46. The prevalences of depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms were 28.3%, 48.8% and 48.0% respectively. These correlated significantly with one another. Chronotropic index was abnormal for 9.4% of respondents, with lower rates for heart rate recovery (1st minute = 2.8%, 2nd minute = 4.9%) and resting heart rate/heart rate recovery 1st minute (5.3%). Simple and multiple linear regression models did not show a significant association with measures of cardiovascular autonomic function. Conclusion Though there is a high prevalence of depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms among junior doctors, the overall relationship between these and cardiovascular autonomic function did not achieve significance.