Mental health status of family medicine interns: a screening-based assessment of anxiety, depression, and resilience

Vysochyna, I.L. and Kramarchuk, V.V. and Yashkina, T.O. (2025) Mental health status of family medicine interns: a screening-based assessment of anxiety, depression, and resilience. Prospects and innovations of science, 51 (5). pp. 2613-2621. ISSN 2786-4952

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Abstract

The internship period represents a critical stage in the professional development of a physician, characterized by intense emotional stress, high levels of responsibility, limited practical experience, and the constant need to adapt to dynamic clinical environments. These factors create a favorable context for the emergence of psycho-emotional exhaustion, anxiety, depression, and burnout syndrome. At the same time, resilience—a person’s psychological capacity for stability, flexibility, and recovery after stress—serves as an important protective factor. The aim of this study was to conduct a screening assessment of anxiety, depression, and resilience levels among medical interns specializing in General Practice – Family Medicine, as well as to examine the dynamics of these indicators throughout the entire internship period. Additionally, the relationships between psycho-emotional states and selected socio-demographic variables were analyzed. The study involved 35 interns who underwent training during 2023–2025 at the Department of Family Medicine and Propaedeutics of Internal Medicine. Screening was conducted three times—at the beginning, middle, and end of the internship—using validated psychometric tools: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25). The results demonstrated relative stability in the average levels of anxiety, depression, and resilience over the course of the internship, with no statistically significant changes in the overall sample. However, during the third wave of assessment, clinically significant levels of anxiety were found in 22.9% of participants, and a combination of elevated anxiety and depression levels was observed in 14.3%, which may indicate a heightened risk of burnout. Most interns exhibited moderate or high levels of resilience, which likely contributed to the preservation of adaptive psychological resources. Correlation analysis revealed a negative relationship between depressionand resilience levels, highlighting the potential protective role of psychological resilience in preventing emotional exhaustion. No statistically significant associations were found between emotional well-being indicators and age, gender, or internship location. These findings emphasize the importance of integrating systematic psychoeducational programs, resilience training, emotional selfmanagement strategies, and regular mental health monitoring into the educational process for medical interns. Such measures are crucial not only for promoting psychological well-being among young doctors but also for preventing chronic stress and burnout at the early stages of their professional careers—especially relevant in the context of ongoing healthcare reform and the growing challenges posed by the war in Ukraine.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	DOI: 10.52058/2786-4952-2025-5(51)-2613-2621
Uncontrolled Keywords:	mental health, internship, family medicine, anxiety, depression, resilience, emotional burnout, psychoeducation, screening, stress
Subjects:	Family Medicine
Divisions:	Departments > Department of Internal Medicine
Depositing User:	Аліна Чеботарьова
Date Deposited:	06 Jun 2025 11:42
Last Modified:	06 Jun 2025 11:42
URI:	http://repo.dma.dp.ua/id/eprint/9449

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