JOB STRESS AMONG BRITISH GENERAL PRACTITIONERS: PREDICTORS OF JOB DISSATISFACTION AND MENTAL ILL-HEALTH

✍ Scribed by ROUT, USHA ;COOPER, CARY L. ;ROUT, JAYA K.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 985 KB
• Volume: 12
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0748-8386
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1700(199607)12:3<155::aid-smi687>3.0.co;2-a

✦ Synopsis

Questionnaires assessing levels of job satisfaction, mental well-being and sources of stress were distributed to a random sample of 850 general practitioners (GPs) in England. The final sample size was 414. Compared to a normative sample, male GPs exhibit significantly higher levels of anxiety, whereas female GPs compare favourably to the population norms. Job satisfaction levels among male and female GPs were significantly lower than when they were measured in 1987. Multivariate analysis revealed five major stressors that were predictive of high levels of job dissatisfaction and negative mental well-being; these were practice administration and demands of the job, interference with family and social life, routine medical work, interruptions and working environment. In addition, emotional involvement and type A behaviour were predictive of lack of mental well-being. It is concluded that there may be substantial benefit in providing training in management skills and introducing a stress management programme for GPs.

KEY woms-general practitioners; job stress; job dissatisfaction; mental ill-health

There has been a growing amount of published work on sources of stress among general practitioners (GPs) in the UK.'-5 Studies on stress in GPs show that organizational aspects of the job are the major stressors rather than patient care itself.2,6 This view is supported by teacher stress research, which shows that the organization context of teachin is more stressful than the actual job radical change in general practice for many years and caused widespread dissatisfaction among members of the profe~sion."-'~ Since 1990 very little work has been done to investigate the sources of stress among GPs and the effects of these changes on the doctors' health. What is required is more up-to-date research that examines the specific itself.'-f The 1990 contract for GPs was the most