Adaptive and maladaptive humor styles are closely associated with burnout and professional fulfillment in members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology

• Published in: Gynecologic oncology reports 2022-08, Vol.42, p.101020-101020, Article 101020
• Main Authors: Wang, Connor C., Godecker, Amy, Rose, Stephen L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Burnout; Burnout interventions; Gynecologic oncology; Humor styles; Professional fulfillment; Survey; Wellness
• ISSN: 2352-5789; 2352-5789
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gore.2022.101020

•Approximately 30% of respondents met criteria for burnout and 50% for high professional fulfillment among SGO members.•Burnout was positively associated with self-defeating humor and negatively associated with self-enhancing humor style.•Professional fulfillment was positively associated with self-enhancing humor and negatively with self-defeating humor style.•Faculty physicians had significantly higher professional fulfillment scores than did resident and fellow physicians.•Resident and fellows were more likely to use aggressive and self-defeating styles than do faculty physicians and APPs. Differences in individual humor styles (adaptive: affiliative, self-enhancing; maladaptive: aggressive, self-defeating) are associated with various wellness measures. This study examines the association of humor styles with professional fulfillment (PF) and burnout (BO) among Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) members. SGO members were surveyed in 11/2020. The survey included 64 questions (32-item Humor Styles Questionnaire, 16-item Professional Fulfillment Index, and 16-item demographic and practice characteristics). Differences among faculty physicians (FAC), physician trainees (Res/Fel), and advanced practice providers (APP) were compared. Multivariable linear regression adjusted the association of humor styles with BO and PF for possible confounders. Of 1982 members invited to participate, 320 (16.1%) returned completed surveys (69.4% FAC, 23.4% Res/Fel, and 7.2% APP). All provider types scored highest for affiliative and lowest for aggressive humor. Res/Fel were more likely to employ aggressive and self-defeating humor styles than FAC and APP. One-third of respondents met criteria for BO and half experienced PF. FAC were more fulfilled than Res/Fel (p = 0.038). BO was negatively associated with self-enhancing and positively associated with self-defeating humor. Working > 60 h/week was associated with increased BO (p = 0.008) while trainee status (p = 0.010) and age > 55 (p = 0.008) were associated with decreased BO. PF was positively associated with self-enhancing and negatively associated with self-defeating humor. Spending > 10% of work hours on administrative duties led to lower PF (p = 0.008). Beyond advocating for less working hours and administrative duties, humor-based interventions to increase self-enhancing and reducing self-defeating humor use may lead to less BO and greater PF in SGO members, especially among trainees.