Prevalence and predictors of occupational burnout among first-year medical residents in Oman: the role of trait emotional intelligence

Previous research has focused on the significance of occupational burnout and the role of emotional intelligence and poor coping abilities among physicians.

Our study aimed to assess the prevalence of occupational burnout among first-year medical residents in Oman, exploring the relationship between trait emotional intelligence subscales and the three dimensions of burnout syndrome, and examining the association between sociodemographic covariates and the three dimensions of burnout syndrome.

The outcome measures included various indices of the abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory. The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEI) and its subscales were examined.

The data showed a high burnout rate of 25.8%. Specifically, among the residents, 57.5% reported high levels of emotional exhaustion, 50.8% reported high depersonalisation and 49.2% reported a low sense of personal achievement. Age was significantly associated with depersonalisation (P < 0.003) and personal achievement (P < 0.0001). Marital status was the only variable significantly associated with emotional exhaustion (P = 0.001). Single residents had considerably lower emotional exhaustion than married residents (P = 0.001). The global mean score for the TEI was 4.77 (±0.64). A statistically significant relationship was found between personal achievement and emotional intelligence (r = 0.203, P = 0.026).