[Aggression as the cause of stress among physicians].
BACKGROUND
Mental stress is inseparably connected with work. The stress reaction is favored by stagnation in life, lack of prospects for professional growth, uncertainty of stable employment, pressure to work reliably and flexibly, excessive workload, and lack of assigned duties. Interpersonal relations among members of the team represent another significant factor in the appearance and persistence of social pathology.


OBJECTIVE
Identification of forms and sources of aggression implicated in stress among physicians at the workplace.


METHODS
The study was performed in 501 physicians employed by inpatient and outpatient institutions in the province of Podlaskie. We used questionnaires assessing the intensity and type of aggression against physicians and the GHQ28 General Heath Questionnaire.


RESULTS
The patient source of stress for physicians included hostile comportment (53%) and extortion (41%). The source of stress from superiors included vulgar acts in the presence of coworkers (18%) and threats (17%). Stress was also caused by raised voice of other physicians (44%) and nurses (25%).


CONCLUSIONS
The main source of stress for physicians was aggression by patients and fellow physicians.
Kowalczuk
Krystyna
K
Zakład Zintegrowanej Opieki Medycznej Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Białymstoku ul. Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie 7A, 15-089 Białystok.
Jankowiak
Barbara
B
Krajewska-Kułak
Elzbieta
E
Kułak
Wojciech
W
Klimaszewska
Krystyna
K
Kondzior
Dorota
D
Kowalewska
Beata
B
D000374:Aggression / Q000145:classification*; D002322:Career Mobility; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*