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Physician, heal thyself: The paradox of anxiety amongst house officers and work in a teaching hospital
Author(s) -
Tan Susan Mooi Koon,
Jong Sze Chin,
Chan Lai Fong,
Jamaludin Nurul Akmal,
Phang Cheng Kar,
Jamaluddin Nur Shahirah,
Shah Shamsul Azhar
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
asia‐pacific psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.654
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1758-5872
pISSN - 1758-5864
DOI - 10.1111/appy.12048
Subject(s) - anxiety , stressor , odds ratio , mental health , medicine , confidence interval , logistic regression , psychiatry , psychology , clinical psychology , family medicine , pathology
Anxiety among house officers may impair functioning and health care delivery. This study aimed to determine the association between anxiety among house officers at Universiti Kebangsaan M alaysia Medical Center, sociodemographic and work‐related factors. Methods A cross‐sectional study using the self‐rated and validated M alay Depressive Anxiety and Stress Scale 21, the General Stressor Questionnaire and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Results Of the 89 house officers, 60.7% were anxious. Multivariate logistic analysis showed work‐related challenges, performance pressure (odds ratio [ OR ] = 9.000, 95% confidence interval [ CI ] = 1.812–44.705), poor relationship with supervisors ( OR = 5.212, 95% CI = 2.033–3.365), poor relationship with colleagues ( OR = 4.642, 95% CI = 1.816–11.866), bureaucratic constraints ( OR = 3.810, 95% CI = 1.541–9.415) and poor job prospects ( OR = 3.745, 95% CI = 1.505–9.321) strongly associated with anxiety. Family‐related stressors were less significant ( OR = 1.800, 95% CI = 0.760–4.266) unless they were work related (work–family conflicts [ OR = 8.253, 95% CI = 2.652–25.684]). Discussion Almost two‐thirds of this cohort reported work‐related anxiety symptoms. Administrators need to address these mental health needs early. The subsequent improvement in communication skills, conflict resolution and anxiety reduction will result in short‐ and long‐term benefits towards the young doctors's mental health. The cascading impact on these individuals, thus empowered, will be good work–life balance, improved patient care and safety, a satisfying medical career whilst contributing maximally to the country's health care.