Work-related quality of life of resident doctors at a tertiary hospital in Southwest Nigeria: a cross-sectional study
- 1Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
- 2Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
Abstract
Background: Medical residency training is an intense postgraduate educational programme during which doctors juggle patient care, specialty training, and personal life. Studies indicate that resident doctors face a high risk of burnout and poor well-being from these competing responsibilities. Work-related quality of life (WRQoL) is a comprehensive measure of how work experiences influence an individual’s well-being. This study aimed to assess the WRQoL of resident doctors at a tertiary hospital in Southwest Nigeria and to identify socio-demographic and work characteristics associated with WRQoL.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among resident doctors at a tertiary hospital in Southwest Nigeria. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that included the 32-item Work-related Quality of Life Scale II, covering seven domains: job and career satisfaction, working conditions, general well-being, home-work interface, stress at work, control at work, and employee engagement, alongside questions on socio-demographic and work characteristics, including monthly income and average work hours per week. Associations between participant characteristics and WRQoL were examined using the chi-square test, and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of good WRQoL.
Results: Participants had a mean age of 32.3 ± 3.4 years and worked an average of 53 ± 29 h per week (median: 42 h/week, IQR: 40–48). Over one-third (34.6%) worked at or below the standard 40-hour work week, while the majority (65.4%) worked more than 40 h per week. More than half (54.9%) earned less than ₦300,000 per month. Overall, 61.6% of resident doctors reported poor work-related quality of life. Employee engagement (70.9% Low) and job and career satisfaction (65.4% Low) were the domains of greatest concern. Marital status (AOR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.7–4.1; p < 0.001) and working 40 h per week or less (AOR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.2–3.1; p = 0.004) were independently associated with good WRQoL.
Conclusions: The majority of resident doctors reported poor work-related quality of life, with marital status and prolonged working hours emerging as the key correlates. Targeted interventions to limit excessive working hours and to support unmarried residents, who appear particularly vulnerable, may improve their WRQoL.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-026-15287-3.
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BibTeX
@article{abdulwahab2026workrelated,
title = {{Work-related quality of life of resident doctors at a tertiary hospital in Southwest Nigeria: a cross-sectional study}},
author = {Abdulgafar Abdulwahab and Mary O. Balogun},
journal = {BMC Health Services Research},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12913-026-15287-3},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-026-15287-3},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Work-related quality of life of resident doctors at a tertiary hospital in Southwest Nigeria: a cross-sectional study
AU - Abdulgafar Abdulwahab
AU - Mary O. Balogun
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/05
JO - BMC Health Services Research
DO - 10.1186/s12913-026-15287-3
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-026-15287-3
AB - Background: Medical residency training is an intense postgraduate educational programme during which doctors juggle patient care, specialty training, and personal life. Studies indicate that resident doctors face a high risk of burnout and poor well-being from these competing responsibilities. Work-related quality of life (WRQoL) is a comprehensive measure of how work experiences influence an individual’s well-being. This study aimed to assess the WRQoL of resident doctors at a tertiary hospital in Southwest Nigeria and to identify socio-demographic and work characteristics associated with WRQoL. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among resident doctors at a tertiary hospital in Southwest Nigeria. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that included the 32-item Work-related Quality of Life Scale II, covering seven domains: job and career satisfaction, working conditions, general well-being, home-work interface, stress at work, control at work, and employee engagement, alongside questions on socio-demographic and work characteristics, including monthly income and average work hours per week. Associations between participant characteristics and WRQoL were examined using the chi-square test, and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of good WRQoL. Results: Participants had a mean age of 32.3 ± 3.4 years and worked an average of 53 ± 29 h per week (median: 42 h/week, IQR: 40–48). Over one-third (34.6%) worked at or below the standard 40-hour work week, while the majority (65.4%) worked more than 40 h per week. More than half (54.9%) earned less than ₦300,000 per month. Overall, 61.6% of resident doctors reported poor work-related quality of life. Employee engagement (70.9% Low) and job and career satisfaction (65.4% Low) were the domains of greatest concern. Marital status (AOR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.7–4.1; p < 0.001) and working 40 h per week or less (AOR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.2–3.1; p = 0.004) were independently associated with good WRQoL. Conclusions: The majority of resident doctors reported poor work-related quality of life, with marital status and prolonged working hours emerging as the key correlates. Targeted interventions to limit excessive working hours and to support unmarried residents, who appear particularly vulnerable, may improve their WRQoL. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-026-15287-3.
SN - 1472-6963
ER -