Work-Related Stress, Job Resources, and Well-Being Among Psychiatrists and Other Medical Specialists in Finland

Previous studies suggest that psychiatrists may be more stressed than other medical specialists and mental health professionals. This study examined differences in stress factors, job resources, psychological distress, and job satisfaction between psychiatrists and other medical specialists. In addition, the study examined whether stress factors or job resources accounted for possible differences between the groups in psychological distress or job satisfaction.

In 2010, the authors obtained cross-sectional, Web-based survey data from a random sample of 2,776 Finnish physicians, including 1,647 women (59%), ranging in age from 25 to 69 years old. Comparisons between the two groups used analyses of covariance adjusted for gender, age, and employment sector.

Psychiatrists were less satisfied with their jobs, felt more stressed about patients, and experienced more psychological distress compared with other medical specialists. However, psychiatrists had more opportunities to control their jobs and better team climate compared with other medical specialists. High psychological distress among psychiatrists was partly accounted for by high patient-related stress. The differences in psychological distress and job satisfaction between the two groups were not accounted for by work-family conflicts or optimism.

It is important to try to alleviate the high levels of patient-related stress among psychiatrists and to further increase their job resources. Doing so may enhance the attractiveness of psychiatry as a specialty choice.