Job stress, satisfaction, and mental health among general practitioners before and after introduction of new contract

• Published in: BMJ 1992-06, Vol.304 (6841), p.1545-1548
• Main Authors: Sutherland, V. J., Cooper, C. L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Affective Symptoms - etiology; Aged; Anxiety; Anxiety - etiology; Contract Services; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression - etiology; Depressive disorders; Family Practice - trends; Female; General practice; Humans; Job Satisfaction; Job stress; Male; Men; Mental health; Middle Aged; Occupational Diseases - psychology; Physicians, Family - psychology; Psychological stress; Questionnaires; State Medicine - trends; Stress, Psychological - etiology; Telephones; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 0959-8138; 1468-5833; 1756-1833
• DOI: 10.1136/bmj.304.6841.1545

OBJECTIVE--To compare measures of job stress, job satisfaction, and mental health among general practitioners before and after the introduction of the new contract in April 1990. DESIGN--Cross sectional postal questionnaire survey in July 1990. Comparison of results with those obtained in previous survey in November 1987. SETTING--General practice in United Kingdom. SUBJECTS--1500 general practitioners randomly selected from general medical services lists, 917 of whom (61%) returned questionnaires usable for statistical analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Aspects of job causing stress, job satisfaction (Warr, Cook, and Wall scale), and mental health (Crown-Crisp experiential index). RESULTS--Compared with 1987, in 1990 doctors experienced more stress from night calls (mean score 3.83 in 1990 v 3.45 in 1987), emergencies during surgery hours (3.72 v 3.48), and interruption of family life by telephone (3.58 v 2.73; p less than 0.001 for all three variables). Scores for somatic anxiety and depression were higher in both men and women in 1990 (men: somatic anxiety 3.12 v 2.36; depression 3.80 v 2.94; women: somatic anxiety 3.56 v 2.65; depression 4.02 v 3.37; p less than 0.001). Job satisfaction had also decreased in 1990 (5.23 v 4.26; p less than 0.001). CONCLUSIONS--Doctors experienced more stress, less job satisfaction, and poorer mental health in 1990 than in 1987. These changes may have resulted from the introduction of the new contract.