Burnout and happiness among post graduate students during COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed method study in the tertiary care hospital of southern Odisha.

BACKGROUND: Acute stress and changing working environment due to COVID-19 pandemic has led to burnout and decline in happiness among PG residents. AIM : To measure the levels of burnout and happiness among PG students and explore their perception on burnout, mental health issues faced and coping strategies during the pandemic. MATERIALS & METHODS : A mixed method study was conducted among 120 PG students of M.K.C.G Medical College selected through stratified random sampling from 1 March 2021 to 31(st) Aug 2021. Maslach Burnout Inventory, subjective happiness scale and in-depth interview guide were used to collect data. Exploratory data analysis of quantitative data and thematic analysis of verbatim transcript data were done. RESULTS : 1. Scores on Maslach burnout inventory [ Component ( Mean, SD ) ] : Emotional Exhaustion (EE) (30.65, 5.56) , Depersonalisation (DP) (12.6, 5.12) , Personal Accomplishment (PA) (25.34, 5.08). 2. Score on subjective happiness scale : Mean 17.3, (SD 2.79). 3. Marital status was significantly associated with different grades of DP. 4. The quartiles of subjective happiness score were significantly associated with years of PG study. 5. Thematic analysis: Codes: 60 , Categories: 20, Subthemes: 5. CONCLUSION : Postgraduation year and marital status were two significant factors on burnout and happiness. Their “Fear of getting infected”, “Deployment in Frontline without adequate training”, “Impaired socialization and leisure activities”, “Blurring of boundary between personal and work life” were the major stressors. Socialisation was a dominant force on the quality of life among PG students.