Occupational stress: Prevalence, sources and coping mechanisms among medical doctors in a tertiary institution.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/tnhj.v18i1.360Keywords:
Coping strategy, Doctor, Occupational stress, Prevalence, SourceAbstract
Background: Work-related stress rate have been reportedly higher among doctors as compared to the general working population. Stress in doctors can result in numerous negative consequences for doctors, their families and the patients they care for, therefore early detection may have positive outcomes for all.
Objectives: This study was carried out to assess the prevalence, sources and coping strategies among medical doctors in a tertiary health facility in Benin City, Edo State.
Methods: The study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional design carried out among 238 medical doctors selected using a two-stage sampling technique. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12)) was adopted to assess the prevalence of stress. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20. Level of significance was taken as p ≤ 0.05.
Results: The prevalence of occupational stress was 50.7%. The main occupational stressors mentioned by respondents were workload 216 (94.3%), sleep deprivation 205 (89.5%) and inadequacy of resources 204 (89.1%). Most of the respondents reported using the following occupational coping strategies frequently: prioritizing and solving problems accordingly 187 (81.7%), reorganizing my work 179 (78.2%) planning ahead 177 (77.3%) amongst others.
Conclusion: The prevalence of work-related stress among respondents was found to be high. High stress level may endanger the health of doctors and impair the quality of care they provide. Hospital management and doctors need to take active measures to reduce their stress.
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