Intimate Partner Relationships, Work-Life Factors, and their Associations With Burnout Among Partnered Pediatric Residents

Abstract Background Burnout is prevalent among pediatric residents, and reducing burnout is a priority for pediatric residency programs. Understanding residents' personal circumstances, including relationship satisfaction and perceived work-life conflict, may identify novel determinants of burnout. Objectives To describe intimate partner relationships among pediatric residents and examine associations among relationship satisfaction, work-life factors, and burnout. Methods We identified 203 partnered residents (married or in a self-identified committed, ongoing relationship) from a cross-sectional survey of 258 residents in 11 New England pediatric programs (response rate 54% of 486 surveys distributed), conducted from April through June of 2013. We analyzed associations among relationship satisfaction, work-life factors, and burnout using multivariable regression. Burnout was measured with the brief Maslach Burnout Inventory, and relationship satisfaction with the validated Relationship Assessment Scale. Results Burnout was reported by 40.9% of partnered respondents. The vast majority of partnered residents (n = 167; 85.2%) reported high relationship satisfaction. Lower relationship satisfaction was not associated with burnout. Approximately half of the respondents (n = 102; 51.5%) reported being satisfied with life as a resident. When controlling for common stressors, such as sleep deprivation, work-life measures associated with burnout included frequent perceived conflicts between personal and professional life (adjusted odds ratio, 4.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.91–9.88) and dissatisfaction with life as a resident (adjusted odds ratio, 11.74; 95% confidence interval, 4.23–32.57). Conclusion Low relationship satisfaction and common work-life stressors were not associated with burnout among partnered pediatric residents. However, perceived work-life conflict and dissatisfaction with resident life were strongly associated with burnout and are targets for residency programs seeking to ameliorate burnout.