Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and burnout severity in French residents: A national study

Abstract

Abstract Background and objectives We measured the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and burnout of French residents. Methods Residents completed a questionnaire assessing their personal life, work, social relationships, mental health, burden and psychological impact of the pandemic. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) allowed to identify 5 classes of burnout of increasing severity: burnout free, intermediate, 1, 2 or 3 dimensions severely impacted. Variables significantly linked with burnout, defined as having a high impact on at least one of the 3 dimensions of the MBI, were entered into a logistic regression. Results There were 1050 responses. Mean age was 27\u2009±\u20092 years. Since the start of the pandemic, only one resident in four said they were in their normal state of mind, more than half felt tired and one third anxious and/or stressed and/or depressed. The total burnout rate was 55%. There was a strong link between the severity of the burnout syndrome and the impact of the pandemic. 7 factors were independently linked to burnout: number of monthly calls (p\u2009 Conclusion Caring for Covid positive patients was not the most important cause of burnout, but there was a strong relationship between burnout severity and psychological impact of the pandemic.