Association between social supports and negative emotions among pediatric residents in China: The chain-mediating role of psychological resilience and burnout

BACKGROUND: Chinese pediatricians are facing challenges, and there is a need to examine the issue of negative emotions, namely, stress, anxiety and depression, among front-line pediatric residents in clinical settings. Understanding the current situation and influencing factors of negative emotions among pediatric residents in China and exploring the formation mechanism can lay a foundation for psychological interventions. METHODS: A total of 138 pediatric residents in the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China, were surveyed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS). RESULTS: (1) The incidence of abnormal stress, anxiety, and depression among pediatric residents was 18.8%, 47.8%, and 47.8% respectively. (2) Negative emotions were significantly negatively correlated with social supports and psychological resilience, and positively correlated with burnout. (3) The chain-mediating effect of resilience and burnout between social supports and negative emotions was significant. CONCLUSION: Psychological resilience and burnout played a chain-mediating role between social supports and negative emotions. Measures should be taken to improve the mental health of Chinese pediatric residents.