Does Positive Psychology Coaching Improve Trainee Well-Being? Evidence from a Longitudinal Professional Development Coaching Program in a Cohort of Pediatric Trainees

Abstract

d = 0.33, p = 0.03). On bivariate analysis, ability to cope was positively correlated with gratitude (r = 0.49, p = 0.01), PERMA (r = 0.61, p = 0.001), and self-valuation (r = 0.46, p = 0.01), and negatively correlated with intolerance of uncertainty (r = -0.46, p = 0.01). Burnout was negatively correlated with professional fulfillment (r = -0.65, p < 0.001) and self-valuation (r = -0.75, p < 0.001). There was no deterioration in scores for trainees who participated in the coaching program. Conclusion: Our longitudinal coaching program was associated with improvement in pediatric trainees’ professional fulfillment, identified possible drivers of well-being on bivariate analysis, and may serve as a roadmap for development of well-being curricula. Our findings suggest that well-being is not merely the absence of burnout, and maintenance of well-being during training may be just as critical as improvement. ABSTRACT