Profile of young psychiatrists: a cross-sectional survey study from Turkey

Abstract

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to discuss the problems and working conditions of Early Career Psychiatrist (ECP) in the light of the literature Method: ECPs (in the first five years of their residency or under forty years of age) were included in the study via e-mail. An online questionnaire structured by the researchers was applied to all participants. The first 7 of the questionnaire questions are related to socio-demographic characteristics, and they were asked about age, gender, city of residence, year of profession, state service obligation, the hospital where he worked, the institution he specialized in. In the continuation of the questionnaire, a total of 24 questions were asked about the clinical and practical applications of psychiatry, education, career and working environment. Results: A total of 245 ECPs, 69.8% female and 30.2% male, aged between 27 and 41 years were included in the study. The average age of the participants in the study was 33.59 ± 2.80 years. As a city, the most frequent (17.1%) attendance was from Istanbul. 71% of them had completed their compulsory service. The institution worked with was reported as the most frequently (39.2%) state hospital affiliated to the Ministry of Health. In our study, it was found that 65.7% of ECPs were subjected to violence in the working environment and 83.9% of those exposed to violence were exposed to verbal violence. Discussion: Both legal and institutional arrangements need to be made in order to improve the working conditions of ECPs, to prevent violence, to feel safe in the working environment and to increase the level of satisfaction. In addition, there is a need to increase the educational opportunities of ECPs after their specialization and to encourage scientific research.