Job Stress, Satisfaction, and Coping Strategies Among Medical Interns in a South Indian Tertiary Hospital

BACKGROUND: It has previously been demonstrated that there is a significant drop in all domains of quality of life among interns during internship. AIMS: A modified version of the health consultant's job stress and satisfaction questionnaire (HCJSSQ) was used to assess and quantify aspects of internship that were perceived as stressful and satisfying. Methods used to cope with work place stress were explored. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A prospective cohort study was undertaken among 93 medical interns doing a rotating internship at the Christian Medical College and Hospital, a tertiary-care hospital in southern India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After completion of 6 months of internship, the modified version of the HCJSSQ was administered to all participants. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The data were entered into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 9 by double data entry technique. Percentages of interns reporting high levels of stress, satisfaction were calculated. RESULTS: While 63.4% of interns reported high levels of satisfaction, 45.2% of the interns experienced high levels of stress, 17.6% coped with work stress by using alcohol and nicotine, and 37% coped through unhealthy eating habits. CONCLUSION: More people found internship satisfying than stressful. However, a high proportion found it stressful, and many reported unhealthy coping mechanisms.