The moderating role of resilience in the association between workload and depressive symptoms among radiology residents in China: results from a nationwide cross-sectional study

Objectives The current study aimed to explore the moderating role of psychological resilience in the association between workload and depressive symptoms among radiology residents during standardized residency training (SRT) in China. Methods A nationwide cross-sectional online survey was conducted among radiology residents in China. Workload was measured by working hours per week and the frequency of frontline nightwork in the last month. Resilience was assessed by the 2-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. The hierarchical regression and simple slope analyses were performed to examine the moderating effect of resilience. Results Among 3666 radiology residents, the mean age was 27.3 years (SD=2.6) and 58% were female. About 24.4% of the participants reported medium to severe depressive symptoms. The hierarchical regression showed that working hours (b(a)=0.11, 95%CI: 0.08, 0.14) and having frontline nightwork more than once (b(a)=1.22, 95%CI: 0.67, 1.78) were positively associated with depressive symptoms; the moderating effect of resilience was significant in the association of depressive symptoms with working hours (b(a)=-0.02, 95%CI:-0.03,-0.01) and having frontline nightwork more than once (b(a)=-0.28, 95%CI:-0.49,-0.07). The simple slope test showed the association between workload-related variables and depressive symptoms was only significant in those with a relatively lower level of resilience. Conclusions The study found that resilience was an important modifier buffering the positive association between workload and depressive symptoms among radiology residents in China. Future medical training programs are suggested to include effective intervention components to increase personal resilience.