Humor Styles, Perceived Stress Scores, and Depression Scores among Psychiatry Residents in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study

Objective: To assess different humor styles among psychiatry residents in Saudi Arabia and examine their correlations with perceived stress and depression scores, while exploring demographic and training-related influencing factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 100 psychiatry residents across Saudi Arabia using the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, and non-parametric tests. Results: Among 100 psychiatry residents (61% male, 39% female), the median scores for humor styles were: affiliative humor (46, IQR:38.5-50), self-enhancement (36.5, IQR:29-43), self-defeating (26, IQR:18.5-33.5), and aggressive humor (25, IQR:19-30). Self-defeating humor showed significant positive correlations with both depression (r=0.427, p<0.001) and perceived stress scores (r=0.269, p=0.007). Males exhibited significantly higher aggressive and self-defeating humor scores (p=0.004 and p=0.001, respectively), while female residents reported significantly higher perceived stress than males (p=0.033). Residents with prior MDD diagnoses demonstrated higher depression and perceived stress levels (p=0.013 and p=0.021, respectively). Conclusion: Self-defeating humor appears to be a maladaptive coping mechanism associated with poorer mental health outcomes among psychiatry residents in Saudi Arabia. Gender differences in humor styles and stress perception suggest the need for tailored wellness interventions. These findings highlight the importance of promoting adaptive humor styles in psychiatric training programs to enhance resilience and well-being.