title: Factors associated with psychiatric morbidity and hazardous alcohol use in Australian doctors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify factors associated with psychiatric morbidity and hazardous alcohol use in Australian doctors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional postal survey of 2999 doctors (including all major specialty groups, trainees and general practitioners) insured with an Australian medical insurance company. The potential for psychiatric morbidity was measured by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and the potential for hazardous alcohol use by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). The survey was conducted in 2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographic, work-related and personality factors associated with a GHQ score > 4 and an AUDIT score > or = 8.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Factors significantly associated with psychiatric morbidity in doctors were: having a current medicolegal matter, not taking a holiday in the previous year, working long hours, type of specialty, and having personality traits of neuroticism and introversion. Factors significantly associated with potentially hazardous alcohol use were being male, being Australian-trained, being between 40 and 49 years of age, having personality traits of neuroticism and extroversion, failing to meet Continuing Medical Education requirements, and being a solo practitioner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mental health of medical practitioners is crucial to the quality of care their patients receive. Doctors should reflect on their hours of work and need for holidays. Involvement with medicolegal processes, such as lawsuits, complaints and inquiries, is a stressful part of medical practice today. Doctors need to be educated about these processes and understand how the experience may affect their health, work and loved ones.
authors.affiliation: New South Wales Institute of Psychiatry, Sydney, NSW, Australia. louise.nash@nswiop.nsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Louise M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Nash
authors.forename: Michele G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Elizabeth H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: van Ekert
authors.forename: Garry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: Merrilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walton
authors.forename: Simon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Willcock
authors.forename: Chris C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Tennant
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000639:trends*; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D008511:Medicine; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D010820:Physicians; D011364:Professional Practice; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016526:Workload