Job stress, satisfaction, and mental health among general practitioners before and after introduction of new contract.
OBJECTIVE
To compare measures of job stress, job satisfaction, and mental health among general practitioners before and after the introduction of the new contract in April 1990.


METHODS
Cross sectional postal questionnaire survey in July 1990. Comparison of results with those obtained in previous survey in November 1987.


METHODS
General practice in United Kingdom.


METHODS
1500 general practitioners randomly selected from general medical services lists, 917 of whom (61%) returned questionnaires usable for statistical analysis.


METHODS
Aspects of job causing stress, job satisfaction (Warr, Cook, and Wall scale), and mental health (Crown-Crisp experiential index).


RESULTS
Compared with 1987, in 1990 doctors experienced more stress from night calls (mean score 3.83 in 1990 v 3.45 in 1987), emergencies during surgery hours (3.72 v 3.48), and interruption of family life by telephone (3.58 v 2.73; p less than 0.001 for all three variables). Scores for somatic anxiety and depression were higher in both men and women in 1990 (men: somatic anxiety 3.12 v 2.36; depression 3.80 v 2.94; women: somatic anxiety 3.56 v 2.65; depression 4.02 v 3.37; p less than 0.001). Job satisfaction had also decreased in 1990 (5.23 v 4.26; p less than 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Doctors experienced more stress, less job satisfaction, and poorer mental health in 1990 than in 1987. These changes may have resulted from the introduction of the new contract.
Sutherland
V J
VJ
Department of Organisational Psychology, Manchester School of Management, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.
Cooper
C L
CL
D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000209:etiology*; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D003284:Contract Services; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D005194:Family Practice / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*; D013222:State Medicine / Q000639:trends; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D006113:United Kingdom