Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Training on the Reduction of Burnout in Clinical Specialist Residents

Abstract

Purpose. This research has pursued aims at evaluating the effects of acceptance and commitment training on reducing burnout in Clinical Specialist Residents, considering the moderating role of personality traits. Design. 202 residents studying emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology completed the Neuroticism (N) and Extraversion (E) subscales of the Big Five Personality Inventory. Then, they were assigned into two experimental and control groups (four groups, each composed of 18 participants). The E+N- and E-N+ experimental groups received Acceptance and Commitment Training, while the E+N- and E-N+ control groups remained on the waiting list. Findings. The results showed that acceptance and commitment training was effective on reduction of burnout in medical residents. In addition, E+N- residents benefit more from acceptance and commitment training than E-N+ residents. Research limitations. This study needs to be reproduced by other groups of residents to demonstrate the efficacy of this intervention in anything other than this population. We also only examined the effect of Acceptance and Commitment Training on the two combinations E & N (E-N+ & E+N-). Practical implications. The findings of this study indicated that acceptance and commitment training was effective in decreasing the rate of burnout among residents considering the moderating role of their personality traits. Originality. None of the existing studies have examined the effect of acceptance and commitment training on burnout in physicians, in addition most research on burnout reduction among residents has only reported the effects of one or several types of intervention, without examining the role of the moderator variables.