Correlates of burnout among family practice residents

Burnout among 67 residents in four family practice training programs was explored. The residents' scores on the emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of accomplishment subscales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory were used to assess burnout. These scores were examined in relation to situational and background measures, two personality instruments (the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), and to regrets about career decisions. Few significant relationships were found between the background and situational factors and the burnout scores, but numerous relationships were found among personality measures, burnout scores, and measures of regret. The pattern of these relationships indicates the importance of interpersonal comfort and skills in mitigating burnout. Although personality factors were more predictive than demographic and situational variables of the variability in burnout among residents in the sample, the variables shared across the sample--long hours, little time for leisure activities and social contact, and compulsive personality characteristics--may contribute to the moderate level of burnout shared by these residents.