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Sources of dentists' stress
Journal of the American Dental Association (1939)
|July 1, 1984
Summary
Dentists experience significant occupational stress, often perceiving their profession as more demanding than others. While many cope, some do nothing, highlighting the need for further research into daily practice stressors.
Area of Science:
- Dental Practice
- Occupational Health
- Psychology
Background:
- Dentistry is perceived as a high-stress profession.
- Many dentists believe their colleagues experience more stress than they do.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and analyze the primary sources of occupational stress among American dentists.
- To explore coping mechanisms employed by dentists to manage stress.
Main Methods:
- A self-administered questionnaire was completed by nearly 1,000 dentists at the 1982 Association annual meeting.
- Exploratory factor analysis was used to categorize identified stressors.
Main Results:
- Key stressors include falling behind schedule, perfectionism, patient pain/anxiety, appointment issues, and patient non-compliance.
- Six hypothesized stress categories emerged: patient compliance/pain/anxiety, interpersonal relations, physical strain, economic pressures, third-party constraints, and perfectionism.
- A quarter of dentists reported doing nothing to cope with stress.
Conclusions:
- Occupational stress in dentistry is multifaceted, stemming from patient interactions, work demands, and external constraints.
- Effective management of dentist well-being requires further empirical study, particularly focusing on daily office and operatory stressors.