Psychological profile of Greek doctors: differences among five specialties

Area of Science:

• Medical Psychology
• Occupational Health
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Understanding psychological differences among medical professionals is crucial for targeted support.
• Previous research indicates variations in mental health across medical specialties and genders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate psychological profile variations among Greek doctors based on gender and medical specialty.
• To identify specific specialties and genders with higher reported psychopathology.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey of 539 Greek doctors across five specialties (general practitioners, internists, surgeons, microbiologists, anesthesiologists).
• Utilized the Symptom Check List 90-Revised (SCL-90-R) for psychological assessment.
• Employed Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) to analyze data.

Main Results:

• Specialty, gender, and their interaction significantly affected SCL-90-R scores.
• Internists showed high scores across most SCL-90-R subscales.
• Women reported higher psychopathology scores than men in most subscales, except hostility.

Conclusions:

• Gender and specialty choice significantly shape the psychological profiles of Greek doctors.
• Internists and women appear more vulnerable to psychopathology.
• Findings necessitate consideration in future research and mental health interventions for physicians.