Journal article
Dental trainees' mental health and intention to leave their programs during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Journal of the American Dental Association (1939), Vol.152(7), pp.526-534
07/01/2021
DOI: 10.1016/j.adaj.2021.02.012
PMCID: PMC8238834
PMID: 34023094
Abstract
Background. Dental trainees (dental students, graduate students, and postdoctoral residents) are at increased risk of experiencing poor mental health, which can lead to intentions to leave their program, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods. The authors invited 355 dental trainees at the University of Washington School of Dentistry to complete an 83-item questionnaire in August and September 2020. The outcome analyzed was intention to leave their programs. There were 4 self-reported predictors: anxiety, burnout, depression, and COVID-19 impact on overall mental health. The authors ran multiple variable logistic regression models to evaluate relationships between each predictor and outcome (a =.05) and reported odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs.
Results. The survey response rate was 35.5%. Overall, 12.7% of participants reported any intention to leave. In total, 22.2% and 16.7% of participants endorsed clinically significant anxiety or depression symptomatology, respectively; 28.6% reported 1 or more burnout symptoms; and 69.0% reported that COVID-19 affected their overall mental health. Participants reporting anxiety (OR, 8.87; 95% CI, 1.80 to 43.57; P =.007), depression (OR, 11.18; 95% CI, 1.84 to 67.74; P =.009), or burnout (OR, 8.14; 95% CI, 1.73 to 38.23; P =.008) were significantly more likely to report intention to leave than those not reporting mental health problems. All participants reporting that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their mental health expressed intention to leave.
Conclusions. Poor mental health is common among dental trainees and is associated with intention to leave their program.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Dental trainees' mental health and intention to leave their programs during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Creators
- Donald L. Chi - Univ Washington, Dept Oral Hlth Sci, Lloyd & Kay Chapman Chair Oral Hlth, Seattle, WA 98195 USACameron L. Randall - Univ Washington, Dept Oral Hlth Sci, Seattle, WA 98195 USACourtney M. Hill - Univ Washington, Dept Oral Hlth Sci, Seattle, WA 98195 USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Journal of the American Dental Association (1939), Vol.152(7), pp.526-534
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.adaj.2021.02.012
- PMID
- 34023094
- PMCID
- PMC8238834
- NLM abbreviation
- J Am Dent Assoc
- ISSN
- 0002-8177
- eISSN
- 1943-4723
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 9
- Grant note
- K23DE028906 / National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/01/2021
- Academic Unit
- Public Policy Center (Archive)
- Record Identifier
- 9984283711502771
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