Abstract
BackgroundPsychosocial job stressors, such as low control and high demands, have been found to influence the health and wellbeing of doctors. However, past research in this area has relied on cross-sectional data, which limits causal inferences about the influence of psychosocial job stressors on health. In this study, we examine this relationship longitudinally while also assessing whether the relationship between psychosocial job stressors and health is modified by gender.MethodsThe data source was seven annual waves of the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) survey. The outcome was self-rated health (measured using the SF-12), and key exposures reflected job control, job demands, work-life balance variables, employment arrangements, and aggression experienced at work. We used longitudinal fixed and random effects regression models to assess within and between-person changes in health.ResultsExcessive job demands, low job control, feelings of not being rewarded at work, and work-life imbalance were associated with higher within-person odds of poorer self-rated health. Gender differences were apparent. For female doctors, work arrangements and work-life imbalance were associated with poorer self-rated health whilst task-based job stressors were associated with poorer self-rated health in male doctors.ConclusionsThese results suggest the importance of addressing adverse working environments among doctors.Trial registrationNot applicable.
Highlights
Psychosocial job stressors, such as low control and high demands, have been found to influence the health and wellbeing of doctors
We found a significant interaction between work-life imbalance (LR χ2(6) = 18.24, p = 0.0057) and job control by gender (LR χ2(6) = 12.09, p = 0.059) in random effects regression
Our findings suggest that some doctors in Australia experience poor working conditions and that these conditions are detrimental to health
Summary
Psychosocial job stressors, such as low control and high demands, have been found to influence the health and wellbeing of doctors. Poor health among doctors has been associated with psychosocial working conditions such as long working hours [8, 9], shift work [7, 8], and high job demands [4, 10]. A small number of studies have examined the role of gender in the relationship between working conditions and health [11, 14]. This suggests that female doctors, in particular, are at greater risk of poor mental health outcomes [11, 14, 15]
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