Loneliness, Burnout, Depression, and Fatigue Among Physicians Who Participated in the Study, (n = 401)
| Characteristic | All Participants (n = 401) | Female (n = 196) | Male (n = 171) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N (%)* | N (%)* | N (%)* | ||
| Loneliness | ||||
| Mean ± SD | 5.3 ± 1.9 | 5.6 ± 1.9 | 5.1 ± 1.9 | .012 |
| Prevalence of loneliness | ||||
| Screened as lonely | 165 (44.9) | 95 (48.7) | 68 (40.5) | .091 |
| Screened as not lonely | 202 (55.0) | 100 (51.3) | 100 (59.5) | .211 |
| Missing† | 34 | 1 | 3 | |
| Burnout Index‡ | ||||
| Emotional exhaustion: high scoref | 135 (33.7) | 84 (43.1) | 51 (30.4) | .008 |
| Depersonalization: high scoref | 138 (34.4) | 84 (43.1) | 54 (32.1) | .019 |
| Burned out | 181 (45.1) | 111 (56.9) | 70 (41.7) | .004 |
| Depression | ||||
| Screened positive for depression | 163 (44.3) | 100 (51.0) | 63 (36.8) | .004 |
| Missing† | 33 | — | — | |
| Fatigue§ | ||||
| Mean ± SD | 5.8 ± 2.4 | 5.3 ± 2.4 | 6.3 ± 2.3 | <.001 |
| Level of fatigue in the past week | ||||
| Low | 182 (53.1) | 82 (44.8) | 99 (63.1) | <.001 |
| High | 161 (46.9) | 101 (55.2) | 58 (36.9) | <.001 |
| Missing† | 58 | 13 | 14 |
↵* Results presented as number (N) and percentage (%) unless denoted otherwise.
↵† The number of physicians who completed the survey but did not provide an answer to this specific question. Missing responses were excluded from the total before percentages were calculated.
‡ We assessed burnout using 2 single-item measures for emotional exhaustion and depersonalization adapted from the full Maslach Burnout Inventory.
↵f High score on Emotional Exhaustion and/or Depersonalization subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory.
↵§ Scores ranged from 0 to 10, with a low mean fatigue score suggesting higher or worsened fatigue.
SD, standard deviation.