Gender differences in burnout among resident physicians in Japan: a nationwide cross-sectional study

Abstract – Purpose – Researchers extensively studied burnout in the medical profession; however, findings on gender differences have remained inconsistent. Understanding well-being disparities between male and female resident physicians is essential for providing appropriate support and fostering a sustainable medical workforce. This study examined gender differences in burnout, depression, job stress, and job satisfaction among Japanese resident physicians in their first and second postgraduate years.Method – The authors conducted a nationwide, cross-sectional study using data from the 2022 General Medicine In-Training Examination (GM-ITE). The analysis included resident physicians who completed the GM-ITE; it assessed burnout, job stress, and job satisfaction using single items from the Mini-Z 2.0 on a five-point Likert scale, and measured depression using the Japanese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-2. This study categorized gender as male or female and estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) for well-being outcomes using clustered log-linear modified Poisson regression models.Results – The final analysis included 5812 residents, of whom 31.8% were female. Compared with male residents, female residents were younger, less likely to pursue high-workload specialties, and reported fewer working hours, emergency duties, and self-study time. Well-being outcomes revealed that 17.9% experienced burnout, 29.5% reported depressive symptoms, 39.0% experienced high job stress, and 66.6% reported job satisfaction. Multivariable analysis indicated that female residents were significantly less likely to experience burnout (PR = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.65-0.84) and more likely to report job satisfaction (PR = 1.10; 95% CI, 1.05-1.13). Gender differences in depressive symptoms and high job stress were not significant.Conclusions – Female residents in Japan experienced lower burnout rates and higher job satisfaction than their male counterparts. These findings challenged assumptions that female gender universally correlates with poor occupational well-being outcomes in the medical field and underscored the need for gender-sensitive support strategies.