title: Occupational stress and related factors among surgical residents in Korea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The application rate for surgical residents in Korea has continuously decreased over the past few years. The demanding workload and the occupational stress of surgical training are likely causes of this problem. The aim of this study was to investigate occupational stress and its related factors in Korean surgical residents.
  
  
  METHODS
  With the support of the Korean Surgical Society, we conducted an electronic survey of Korean surgical residents related to occupational stress. We used the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) to measure occupational stress. We analyzed the data focused on the stress level and the factors associated with occupational stress.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean KOSS score of the surgical residents was 55.39, which was significantly higher than that of practicing surgeons (48.16, P < 0.001) and the average score of specialized professionals (46.03, P < 0.001). Exercise was the only factor found to be significantly associated with KOSS score (P = 0.001) in univariate analysis. However, in multiple linear regression analysis, the mean number of assigned patients, resident occupation rate and exercise were all significantly associated with KOSS score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical residents have high occupational stress compared to practicing surgeons and other professionals. Their mean number of assigned patients, resident recruitment rate and exercise were all significantly associated with occupational stress for surgical residents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sanghee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hye Sung
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Boo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Statistics, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Sung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chong Suk
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Burnout, Professional; Exercise; Occupational stress; Surgical resident