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Values, stress, and coping among practicing family physicians
1Department of Family Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.
Archives of Family Medicine
|May 1, 1997
Summary
Healthy family physicians identified core values like caring and spirituality. They managed occupational stress from overload and demanding patients using problem-solving and self-care strategies.
Area of Science:
- Family Medicine
- Occupational Health
- Psychology
Background:
- Physician well-being is crucial for effective patient care.
- Understanding factors contributing to physician satisfaction and stress is essential.
- Community-based family physicians face unique occupational challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify values, stress sources, and coping mechanisms in healthy, satisfied family physicians.
- To explore the relationship between personal values and occupational stress.
- To understand how physicians develop effective stress management strategies.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study utilizing a standardized open-ended interview approach.
- Purposeful sampling of 10 central Ohio family physicians.
- Analysis of interview patterns and themes to identify commonalities.
Main Results:
- Key values included caring, diversity, control, family, and spirituality.
- Primary stressors were workload, the medical environment, and patient demands.
- Coping strategies involved problem-solving, positive reframing, stress monitoring, support, and self-care.
Conclusions:
- Physicians develop learned strategies to cope with stress, often after personal challenges.
- Work-life conflicts and unbalanced values can exacerbate physician stress.
- Assessing the developmental processes of physician stress and coping is vital.