Association between social supports and negative emotions among pediatric residents in China: The chain-mediating role of psychological resilience and burnout

Front Public Health. 2023 Jan 23:10:962259. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.962259. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Background: Chinese pediatricians are facing challenges, and there is a need to examine the issue of negative emotions, namely, stress, anxiety and depression, among front-line pediatric residents in clinical settings. Understanding the current situation and influencing factors of negative emotions among pediatric residents in China and exploring the formation mechanism can lay a foundation for psychological interventions.

Methods: A total of 138 pediatric residents in the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China, were surveyed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS).

Results: (1) The incidence of abnormal stress, anxiety, and depression among pediatric residents was 18.8%, 47.8%, and 47.8% respectively. (2) Negative emotions were significantly negatively correlated with social supports and psychological resilience, and positively correlated with burnout. (3) The chain-mediating effect of resilience and burnout between social supports and negative emotions was significant.

Conclusion: Psychological resilience and burnout played a chain-mediating role between social supports and negative emotions. Measures should be taken to improve the mental health of Chinese pediatric residents.

Keywords: anxiety; burnout; chain-mediating effect; depression; pediatrician; psychological resilience; social support; stress.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anxiety / epidemiology
  • Anxiety / psychology
  • Burnout, Professional* / epidemiology
  • Burnout, Professional* / psychology
  • Child
  • China / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Resilience, Psychological*
  • Social Support

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the Major Project of New Generation Artificial Intelligence, Scientific and Technological Innovation 2030 (Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China) (2021ZD0113505), the Second Batch of Industry–University-Education Collaboration Projects (Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China) (202102177013), and 2020 Education Reform Project of Zhejiang University School of Medicine (jgyb20202037).