Factors Associated with the Mental Health and Satisfaction of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residents in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study and Analysis

Abstract Purpose Residents in training report high levels of stress and anxiety and are at higher risk of mental health problems than the general population. Mental health problems among residents correlate with decreased professional effectiveness, increased medical errors, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and they may have a significant negative impact on future practitioners. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that may be associated with the mental health and satisfaction of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) residents and determine associations between these factors and OMS resident satisfaction as a surrogate of resident well-being. Methods The investigators designed and implemented an online survey which was emailed to all OMS residents in the 101 accredited training programs in the United States. The survey was designed to determine and assess factors associated with OMS resident satisfaction. Differences between groups were tested using one-way analysis of variance for continuous variables and Chi-squared tests for categorical variables. For each factor, we fit a logistic regression model to estimate the odds ratio of resident satisfaction for the factor, adjusting for gender, year in residency, and years of advanced training. Results Three hundred of the 1181 resident surveys were completed (25.4% response rate). Satisfied OMS residents tended to be male, further along in their training programs, and have access to mental health resources. Dissatisfaction was associated with higher self-reported stress levels, working a higher number of hours per week, and believing one would be viewed differently for speaking to faculty about mental health. Conclusion OMS resident satisfaction was associated with identifiable and potentially modifiable factors. These factors included workload characteristics, stress and coping ability, and mental health impact and resource availability. Evidence-based strategies for OMS resident well-being may lead to the development of best practice guidelines for promoting and optimizing resident mental health.