COPING STYLES AND HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIORS IN PEDIATRIC AND INTERNAL-MEDICINE HOUSE STAFF - THE ROLE OF PERSONALITY STYLES, GENDER, AND YEAR IN-TRAINING

This study describes the role of personality styles, gender, and year in training on coping styles and health-related behaviors in 191 pedia tric and internal medicine house officers. More highly distressed hous e staff reported more physical complaints, less adequate self-health c are, and more use of denial and disengagement as coping strategies tha n peers who demonstrated lower levels of distress. More highly distres sed house officers were rated by their chief residents as more frequen tly ill and more dissatisfied with their personal life. Female house s taff were more distressed and used more emotional and social support c oping strategies than male colleagues. First-year residents were less prepared for medical residency demands, reported less adequate self-he alth care practices, and were rated as having lower overall competency by their chief residents compared with third-year house staff. These findings suggest a need for further research on individual differences .