Prevalence and Correlates of Depression, Anxiety, and Burnout Among Physicians and Postgraduate Medical Trainees: A Scoping Review of Recent Literature

Samuel Obeng Nkrumah^1*Medard Kofi Adu¹Belinda Agyapong²Raquel da Luz Dias¹Vincent Israel Opoku Agyapong¹

• ¹Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
• ²Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

The mental well-being of physicians is increasingly recognized as vital, both for their personal health and the quality of care they provide to patients. Physicians face a variety of mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and burnout, which have become prevalent issues globally. These mental health concerns are like those found in the general population but are particularly significant in the demanding healthcare setting. Objective: This review aims to explore the prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety, and burnout among physicians and residents in training. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted, searching databases such as Medline, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. The review focused on studies published from 2021 to 2024 that addressed the prevalence of these mental health conditions in physicians and residents. The findings, in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, were summarized in detailed tables. Results: Following titles and abstracts screening, 196 publications were selected for full-text review, with 92 articles ultimately included in the analysis. The results revealed significant variability in the prevalence of burnout, depression, and anxiety. Burnout rates among physicians ranged from 4.7% to 90.1% and from 18.3% to 94% among residents. Depression prevalence ranged from 4.8% to 66.5% in physicians and from 7.7% to 93% in residents. Anxiety rates were between 8% and 78.9% in physicians and 10% to 63.9% in residents. Notably, women reported higher rates of all three conditions compared to men. Key factors influencing these mental health conditions included demographics (age, gender, education, financial status, family situation, occupation), psychological conditions, social factors (stigma, family life), work organization (workload, work conditions), and COVID-19-related issues (caring for COVID-19 patients, fear of infection, working in high-risk areas, concerns about personal protective equipment (PPE), and testing positive). Conclusion: This review indicates a high prevalence of burnout, depression, and anxiety among physicians and residents, with female participants consistently showing higher rates than males. These findings can guide policymakers and healthcare administrators in designing targeted programs and interventions to help reduce these mental health issues in these groups.