ArticleThe South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa2026
AWARE: Anaesthesia trainee wellbeing at respective educational institutions: A national prospective study of burnout, depressive symptoms and occupational stress.
Article in The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: Anaesthesia trainees are at increased risk of burnout and depression - with occupational stress recognised as a trigger for both. Previous South African single-site studies have assessed these outcomes separately, but not within the same study. Aim: This study aimed to describe a composite mental well-being profile of South African anaesthesia trainees, focusing on burnout, depression screening, occupational stress and associated risk factors. Setting: The study was conducted among South African anaesthesia trainees from nine university-affiliated public teaching hospitals. Methods: Participants were recruited via convenience sampling through engagement with study representatives. Burnout, depression screening and occupational stress were measured using the abridged Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel, the Harvard Department of Psychiatry National Depression Screening Day Scale and the Effort-Reward Imbalance questionnaire. The response rate was 37%. Results: Of the 194 trainees, 54 (28%) met burnout criteria, 88 (45%) screened positive for depression and 144 (74%) demonstrated chronic occupational stress. Forty-one (21%) trainees simultaneously met criteria for all three study outcomes, representing a distinctly vulnerable subcohort. Risk factors included: previous and/or current treatment for psychiatric illness, registrars in their second year of training and self-prescribing anxiolytics and antidepressants. Conclusion: Burnout rates in this population closely approximate international estimates; however, both depressive symptoms and occupational stress prevalence exceed international figures. Contribution: This first-of-its-kind study provided a composite insight into the mental well-being profile of South African anaesthesia trainees, identifying a bigger cohort at risk of burnout and/or depression in the near future.
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