PC1225: Predictors of Physician Burnout in Pediatricians

Background: Burnout is common among physicians and has detrimental effects on patient care and physician health. The lack of data on demographic and behavioral predictors of burnout in pediatricians may limit the development of targeted interventions. We assessed burnout among pediatricians and examined unique effects of demographic and behavioral factors on burnout.

Methods: Participants included attending pediatricians affiliated with a children’s hospital. Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment burnout was assessed via the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Validated instruments were used to measure empathy, compassion, personality, and perfectionism.

Results: Sixty-nine pediatricians participated in this study. Across participants, 42% reported either high emotional exhaustion or depersonalization burnout. A lower proportion of Emergency Medicine pediatricians reported high levels of emotional exhaustion burnout (5% vs. 39%; X2 = 9.46; p =.009). Overall, high self-critical perfectionism uniquely predicted high emotional exhaustion (B =.56, 95% CI 0.27-0.84) and depersonalization burnout (B = 0.20, 95% CI 0.08-0.32). Low conscientiousness (B = -5.98; 95% CI, -10.61- -1.36) predicted higher emotional exhaustion burnout and low agreeableness (B = -3.58, 95% CI -6.01- -1.14) predicted higher depersonalization burnout. High neuroticism (B = -2.13, 95% CI -3.80- -0.46) and low conscientiousness (B = 3.73, 95% CI 0.93-6.52) predicted higher personal accomplishment burnout.

Conclusion: Results demonstrate the potential detrimental effects of perfectionism and certain personality characteristics on pediatrician burnout. Perfectionism is understudied among physicians and the current findings suggest that addressing system and individual-level factors that encourage maladaptive perfectionism is warranted and may reduce risk for burnout in pediatricians.