Health Habits, Coping Behaviors, and Perceived Social Support in Primary Care Physicians as a Function of Level of Burnout

Primary care physicians (PCPs) are vital to the healthcare of our nation and serve as a critical point of entry into the healthcare system. PCPs must successfully balance competing demands; however, balancing all of these demands can lead PCPs to experience symptoms of burnout. Physician burnout is a serious problem among physicians and can have a significant impact on the medical community. Burnout threatens not only the health of physicians, but also the healthcare received by patients. Due to the profound effects that burnout can potentially have on physicians and on the care that they deliver to their patients, it is critical to understand the factors that may differentiate physicians experiencing varying levels of burnout. In order examine burnout in the PCP community, a cross-sectional survey was conducted which analyzed the relationship between varying levels of burnout (low, medium, high) and perceived social support, coping mechanisms, and wellness habits. Participants in the study voluntarily completed self-report questionnaires and a number of demographic questions. After analyzing the data, the results revealed that the male PCPs in this study scored significantly higher on the personal accomplishment domain, compared with their female PCP counterparts. The findings also revealed that PCPs who reported experiencing high levels of burnout also reported engaging in fewer positive health habits and those PCPs who reported higher perceived level of social support also reported engaging in more healthy behaviors. Finding a link between health habits, burnout, and perceived social support is a step toward having a better overall understanding of the complexness of burnout in the PCP community