Stewart D E, Ahmad F, Cheung A M, Bergman B, Dell D L
Department of Psychiatry, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
J Womens Health Gend Based Med. 2000 Mar;9(2):185-90. doi: 10.1089/152460900318687.
Most women physicians enjoy better than average physical health and lead satisfying and productive lives. However, higher than average rates of depression, anxiety, marital problems, and substance abuse have been reported by some, but not all, authors. This quantitative survey of 196 women physicians and qualitative focus groups with 48 other women physicians was conducted to determine perceptions of their health, stress, satisfaction, knowledge, and abuse rates in medical practice. Eight specialties plus family practice physicians participated. The average age was 44.1 years (SD 8.8, range 23-77). Seventy-four percent of women physicians were married, with children. Specialists and family physicians were similar in all demographic characteristics except that family physicians were more significantly likely to be divorced, separated, or widowed (p < or = 0.01). Specialists perceived their personal physical health to be better than that of family doctors (p < or = 0.05), and family physicians rated their medical knowledge better than that of specialists (p < or = 0.0001). Women physicians over age 50 or with children over age 19 reported the best mental health (p < or = 0.0001 and 0.003, respectively). Overall, 49% of women physicians reported usually having high levels of stress, 44% felt mentally tired, and 17% took antidepressant drugs. Seventy-three percent reported verbal abuse at work (71% in the last year), and 33% reported physical assault at work (11% in the last year). Focus groups identified three major sources of stress: high expectations, multiple roles, and work environment. These results are discussed and compared with the literature. Both personal and systemic strategies are required to solve the problems identified. Women physicians can facilitate the adoption of some of these strategies by sharing information about successes, challenges, and solutions.
大多数女医生的身体健康状况优于平均水平，过着令人满意且富有成效的生活。然而，一些（但并非所有）作者报告称，她们患抑郁症、焦虑症、婚姻问题和药物滥用的比例高于平均水平。本研究对196名女医生进行了定量调查，并对另外48名女医生进行了定性焦点小组访谈，以确定她们对自身健康、压力、满意度、知识水平以及医疗实践中滥用情况的看法。参与调查的有八个专科以及家庭医生。平均年龄为44.1岁（标准差8.8，范围23 - 77岁）。74%的女医生已婚并有子女。专科医生和家庭医生在所有人口统计学特征上相似，但家庭医生离婚、分居或丧偶的可能性显著更高（p≤0.01）。专科医生认为自己的个人身体健康状况优于家庭医生（p≤0.05），而家庭医生认为自己的医学知识比专科医生更好（p≤0.0001）。50岁以上或子女年满19岁的女医生心理健康状况最佳（分别为p≤0.0001和0.003）。总体而言，49%的女医生报告称通常压力水平较高，44%感到精神疲惫，17%服用抗抑郁药物。73%的人报告在工作中遭受言语虐待（去年为71%），33%的人报告在工作中遭受身体攻击（去年为11%）。焦点小组确定了压力的三个主要来源：高期望、多重角色和工作环境。本文对这些结果进行了讨论，并与相关文献进行了比较。解决所发现的问题需要个人和系统层面的策略。女医生可以通过分享成功经验、挑战和解决方案等信息，推动其中一些策略的采用。
