Examining Resident Burnout Through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory: The Role of General Causality Orientations

<b>Background</b> Burnout continues to plague graduate medical education, and theory-informed approaches are lacking for effectively tackling this problem. Studies on personal factors that explain physician burnout have also neglected the role of self-determination. In self-determination theory, general causality orientations-<i>autonomy</i>, <i>control</i>, and <i>impersonal</i>-represent individual differences in self-determination that can be socialized and primed within environments, each relating to different motivation, behavior, and well-being outcomes. <b>Objective</b> To investigate how each general causality orientation relates to resident burnout, the hypothesis being that the <i>autonomy</i> orientation will negatively correlate, while the <i>control</i> and <i>impersonal</i> orientations will positively correlate. <b>Methods</b> Surveys containing demographic questions and 2 scales-the Causality Orientations at Work Scale and Oldenburg Burnout Inventory-were sent in 2023 to a sample of Canadian residents across 3 institutions. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed, controlling for significant demographic factors. <b>Results</b> A total of 243 of 1200 residents (20.5%) completed the survey. The 3 general causality orientations accounted for 31.5% of the variance in resident burnout, with <i>autonomy</i> correlating negatively (<i>B</i>=-0.24; <i>P</i><.001; 95% CI, -0.37 to -0.11) and <i>control</i> (<i>B</i>=0.20; <i>P</i>=.003; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.33) and <i>impersonal</i> (<i>B</i>=0.28; <i>P</i><.001; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.42) correlating positively. <b>Conclusions</b> Resident burnout is positively associated with the <i>control</i> and <i>impersonal</i> causality orientations, and negatively associated with the <i>autonomy</i> causality orientation.