[Mental health in family doctors: effects of satisfaction and stress at work].

OBJECTIVES

To asses "burnout" and psychiatric morbidity among family physicians and its relationship with stress and satisfaction at work.

METHODS

The 346 family doctors and 84 pediatricians in the Primary Health Care district of Majorca were invited to fill-out a questionnaire. Psychiatric morbidity was evaluated using the 28-item General Health Questionnaire. The three components of "burnout" (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low personal accomplishment) were assessed with the Maslach Burnout inventory. Satisfaction and stress at work were assessed with the Font Roja and Tabarca scales, respectively.

FINDINGS

266 family doctors and pediatricians answered the questionnaire (61.86%). Estimated prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was 25.7%. No significant differences were found between those with GHQ results and demographic and job variables. Fifty three per cent had high emotional exhaustion, 47.1% high depersonalization and low personal accomplishment were found in 33.3% of the doctors. Non significant differences were identified in the distribution of burnout dimensions and demographic and job characteristics. Satisfaction at work seems to protect doctors from mental distress and burnout. Job stress is related to higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalization but not with psychiatric morbidity.

CONCLUSIONS

Family practitioner's mental health is likely to be protected in those who are more satisfied at work and threatened in those doctors with high job stress. These facts have to be assumed not so much as an individual problem but rather as a general problem of all health organizations.