Occupational stressors experienced by pediatric residents during COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods sequential explanatory study

Pediatric residents deal with children who are critically ill. This study was conducted to discover the stressors experienced by pediatric residents during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study included two quantitative and qualitative phases and was conducted using a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. Using a quantitative-cross-sectional approach, the first phase of the study was conducted on 70 pediatric residents of hospitals affiliated with the Iran University in Tehran, Iran. The participants were selected through the convenience sampling method. The data collection tool used in the quantitative phase of this study was the Osipow occupational stress inventory. After collecting and analyzing data and according to the results, the second phase of the study, qualitative phase, was initiated. Sampling was done purposefully. Ten percent of the highest average, lowest, and middle average were interviewed. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. All interviews were recorded and typed in the MAXQDA software and then analyzed. The pediatric residents' occupational stress level in this study was 187/40 ± 20.37 and the resident's occupational stress had a significant relation with marital status, sleep duration, year of residency, and the number of monthly shifts. The qualitative phase revealed that the residents attributed their occupation stress to theoretical education problems, clinical problems, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lack of balance between work-life responsibilities, and inappropriate physical environment as well as insufficient welfare facilities. Given the prominent role of residents in the healthcare system, paying attention to their occupational stress is essential. Therefore, all health policymakers are recommended to alleviate medical residents' occupational stress by making appropriate decisions and adopting efficient measures.