PurposeTo characterise determinants of resident maternity leave and their effect on maternal and infant well-being. Among non-parents, to identify factors that influence the decision to delay childbearingStudy designIn 2016, a survey was sent to female residents at a large academic medical centre on their experiences with maternity leave, the impact of personal and programme factors on length of leave, reasons for delaying childbearing and measures of well-being.ResultsForty-four percent (214/481) of residents responded. Fifty (23%) residents were parents, and 25 (12%) took maternity leave during training. The average maternity leave length was 8.4 weeks and did not differ across programme type, size or programme director gender but was longer for programmes with fewer women than men. The most common self-reported determinant of leave was financial. Residents with >8 weeks of leave were less likely to have postpartum depression or burnout and more likely to breastfeed longer, perceive support from colleagues and programme directors, and be satisfied with resident parenthood. Among 104 non-parents who were married or partnered, 84 (81%) were delaying childbearing, citing busy work schedules, concern for burdening colleagues and finances.ConclusionsThis study suggests that multiple aspects of resident wellbeing are associated with longer maternity leaves, yet finances and professional relationships hinder length of leave and lead to delayed childbearing. These issues could be addressed at a programme level with clear policies describing how work is redistributed during parental leave and at an institutional and state level through provision of paid family leave.

Our study suggests that residents experience different types of burnout and have variable methods by which they recover from and avoid further burnout. Categorizing residents' burnout into versus experiences may serve as a helpful framework for formulating interventions.

This survey was sent to all female residents in graduate medical education at participating institutions. Branching logic determined which questions were asked of whom. ___________________________________________________ Thank you for participating in this national survey!The following questions will assess your opinions and experiences. Your answers are confidential and the results will be presented in aggregate and not by training program in order to protect the identity of participants.Completion of this survey should take approximately 3-10 minutes.We greatly appreciate your participation! ACCEPTANCE: By clicking "Yes," you indicate that you agree to be in this study. Yes ___________________________________________________Supplemental digital content for Stack SW, Jagsi R, Biermann JS, et al., Childbearing decisions in residency: A multicenter survey of female residents. Acad Med.