Sources and expressions of stress among physicians in a general hospital

Background: Work stress is an important problem that affects physicians. Multiple sources can contribute to this problem. High rates of stress among physicians can be manifested in various expressions including cognitive, behavioral, and somatic expressions. Work performance and quality of medical care administered to the patients can be undermined by over stressed physicians. Objective: The aim of the study was to reveal sources and expressions of stress among hospital physicians and their relationship with socio-demographic and job factors. Subjects and methods: Two hundred and forty-seven physicians working in a general hospital in Kuwait were the candidates of this study. Quick Stress Questionnaire (QSQ) was used. It consisted mainly of two parts, the first dealt with the sources of stress while the second entailed cognitive, behavioral, and somatic expressions of stress. In addition, sociopage title demographic and work characteristics of physicians were studied and their association with stress domains was illustrated. Results: The most commonly encountered sources of work stress were work concerns (55.9%), followed by financial (51.0%), and family (45.7%) concerns. The most commonly encountered expressions are ‘‘sleeping disturbance, night awakening, and troublesome dreams’’ (27.5%) followed by ‘‘anxiety, fears, and worrying’’ (25.9%). The least commonly encountered ones are ‘‘acne, eczema, hives, breaking out, and skin blotching and skin blanching’’ (3.6%) followed by ‘‘tics, tremors, and muscle spasms’’ (4.0%). Conclusion: Work, financial, and family concerns were the main sources of stress among physicians. Cognitive expressions were the most common manifestations of stress followed by behavioral expressions, while the least expressed were the somatic manifestations.