Levels of job dissatisfaction and work-related stressors experienced by medical doctors in Greek hospitals

• Published in: Journal of Compassionate Health Care Vol. 3; no. 1
• Main Authors: Antoniou, Alexander-Stamatios, Cooper, Cary L, Davidson, Marilyn J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central Ltd 25.03.2016; BioMed Central
• Subjects: Health care; Job satisfaction; Job stress; Mental health; Physicians; Quality of care
• ISSN: 2053-2393; 2053-2393
• DOI: 10.1186/s40639-016-0021-z

Background Although a considerable number of studies have been conducted with regard to work well-being of medical personnel, few of these have focused on smaller countries with a cultural setting such as Greece. In specific, much attention has been given to the mental health of medical doctors who appear to be at high risk and prone to a number of job stressors. Many of these factors can significantly reduce their general ability to respond effectively to their demanding duties. The present study investigates the extent to which specific occupational stressors may predict various aspects of job satisfaction amongst 514 Greek hospital doctors. Methods The main sample consisted of 277 male and 237 female doctors covering the spectrum of the typical hospital hierarchy, who completed the author Hospital Doctors Stress Questionnaire, the Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI) and a Job Satisfaction scale. Results Analyses of the data demonstrated that, overall, hospital doctors presented low levels of job satisfaction in relation to salary, working hours, opportunities for promotion and general working conditions. The highest levels of satisfaction were indicated with regard to relationships with colleagues and superiors, responsibilities, and appreciation for their work. Conclusions The results of this study identify that certain occupational stress factors influence the overall job satisfaction of Greek hospital doctors. Finally, as regards to demographic variables as potential predictors of job satisfaction, presence of physical symptoms, specialism and age were significantly associated to the overall job satisfaction. Keywords: Job dissatisfaction, Occupational stressors, Hospital doctors, Working conditions, High-risk jobs/populations, Personality