Assessment of psychological well-being among female medical residents in Tunisia

Introduction Medical residents encounter high work demands, significant responsibilities, and a strong commitment to their roles. Female residents, in particular, face unique challenges that can affect their emotional and mental well-being. Emotional intelligence (EI), resilience, and mental health disorders are critical factors influencing their performance and job satisfaction. Objectives This study aims to assess and evaluate these factors among female medical residents in Tunisian hospitals. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study involving female medical residents undergoing training in Tunisian hospitals. Data were collected anonymously through a questionnaire-based survey using Google Forms between October 2023 and January 2024. Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, followed by four scales : the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF), which assesses global trait EI, the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), the Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4) to measure stress levels, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) to assess levels of depression and anxiety. An additional question was included to evaluate job satisfaction on a scale ranging from 0 to 10. Results ur study included 95 female participants. The mean age was 27.14 ±1.29 years, with the majority (95.8%) being under 30. Most participants were single (78.9%), and only 6.3% were smokers. The mean resilience score was 3±0.75, while the total EI score averaged 4.52±0.67. The mean scores for the PSS-4 and the PHQ-4 were 7.54±2.47 and 4.19±2.89, respectively. The mean work satisfaction level was 6.19±1.75. Univariate analysis showed that higher resilience and EI levels were more common among non-smokers (p = 0.045 and p = 0.02). Furthermore, greater work satisfaction was significantly associated with lower stress (p = 0.000, r = -0.482), anxiety and depression (p = 0.000, r = -0.42), and higher resilience (p = 0.000, r = 0.359) and EI (p = 0.000, r = 0.444). Conclusions Our study highlights the importance of addressing emotional intelligence, resilience, and mental health disordes among female medical residents to enhance their overall well-being and job satisfaction. Targeted interventions are essential to support their mental health and optimize their performance in demanding roles. Disclosure of Interest None Declared