RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Resident physicians who work more hours a day are prone to suffer mental health problems such as depression, a subject that has been little studied. In this regard, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and to evaluate the association between the number of daily working hours and depressive symptoms in Peruvian residents. METHODS: Analytical cross-sectional study that used the database of the National Survey for Resident Physicians-2016, a voluntary survey issued virtually by the National Council of Medical Residency of Peru to physicians who were undertaking their residency in Peru. The presence of depressive symptoms was considered as having obtained a score ≥3 with the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 scale. The number of hours worked each day was collected through a direct question. To assess the association of interest, prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using crude and adjusted Poisson regressions with robust variance. RESULTS: The responses of 953 residents (41.3% women, mean age: 32.5 years) were evaluated, 14.6% of which presented depressive symptoms. In the adjusted analysis, it was found that the prevalence of depressive symptoms increased for each additional hour worked (PR=1.11; 95% CI, 1.04-1.17). CONCLUSIONS: One in seven residents had depressive symptoms. For every extra daily working hour, the frequency of depressive symptoms increased by 11%.
RESUMO
RESUMEN Introducción: Los médicos residentes que laboran más horas diarias son propensos a sufrir problemas de salud mental como la depresión, tema que se ha estudiado poco. Por ello, el presente estudio tiene por objetivos determinar la prevalencia de los síntomas depresivos y evaluar la asociación entre el número de horas diarias laboradas y la presencia de síntomas depresivos en residentes del Perú. Métodos: Estudio transversal analítico que usó la base de datos de la Encuesta Nacional para Médicos Residentes-2016, una encuesta voluntaria realizada virtualmente por el Consejo Nacional de Residentado Médico de Perú a médicos que realizaban su residencia en este país. Se consideró presencia de síntomas depresivos una puntuación ≥ 3 con la escala Patient Health Questionnaire-2. Las horas laboradas diariamente se tomaron mediante una pregunta directa. Para evaluar la asociación de interés, se calcularon razones de prevalencia (RP) y sus intervalos de confianza del 95% (IC95%) usando regresiones de Poisson brutas y ajustadas con varianza robusta. Resultados: Se evaluaron las respuestas de 953 residentes (el 41,3% mujeres; media de edad, 32,5 arios), de los que el 14,6% tenía síntomas depresivos. En el análisis ajustado, se encontró que la prevalencia de síntomas depresivos aumentaba por cada hora laborada adicional (RP = 1,11; IC95%, 1,04-1,17). Conclusiones: Uno de cada 7 residentes presentó síntomas depresivos. Por cada hora laborada diariamente extra, la frecuencia de síntomas depresivos aumentó un 11%.
ABSTRACT Introduction: Resident physicians who work more hours a day are prone to suffer mental health problems such as depression, a subject that has been little studied. In this regard, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and to evaluate the association between the number of daily working hours and depressive symptoms in Peruvian residents. Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study that used the database of the National Survey for Resident Physicians-2016, a voluntary survey issued virtually by the National Council of Medical Residency of Peru to physicians who were undertaking their residency in Peru. The presence of depressive symptoms was considered as having obtained a score ≥3 with the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 scale. The number of hours worked each day was collected through a direct question. To assess the association of interest, prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using crude and adjusted Poisson regressions with robust variance. Results : The responses of 953 residents (41.3% women, mean age: 32.5 years) were evaluated, 14.6% of which presented depressive symptoms. In the adjusted analysis, it was found that the prevalence of depressive symptoms increased for each additional hour worked (PR = 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04-1.17). Conclusions: One in seven residents had depressive symptoms. For every extra daily working hour, the frequency of depressive symptoms increased by 11%.
