Identification of possible risk factors for alcohol use disorders among general practitioners in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
OBJECTIVE
Research on alcohol use disorders among physicians has been scarce in Germany. The aim of our study was to identify possible risk factors for alcohol use disorders among general practitioners (GPs) working in the outpatient sector in the federal German state of Rhineland-Palatinate (RP).


METHODS
An anonymous survey was carried out between June and July 2009. 2,092 practice-based GPs in the federal German state of RP were asked to take part in the cross-sectional study via postal mail. The CAGE screening tool was used in its German version (CAGE-G) to screen for alcohol use disorders (AUD). Moreover, possible risk factors such as work stress (effort-reward imbalance), stress experienced in the leisure time and personality characteristics (Type D personality, resilience) were included in the questionnaire.


RESULTS
808 GPs participated (response rate 38.6%), n = 790 were eligible for the analysis. The frequency of AUD according to the CAGE-G was 18.9% (n = 149). Moreover, nearly one in four general practitioners reported consuming alcohol on a daily basis (23.0%, n = 182). In the logistic regression analyses, stress experienced in the leisure time was positively related to the occurrence of AUD, whereas resilience was negatively associated.


CONCLUSIONS
AUD as screened for by the CAGE-G was frequent in our sample of German GPs. Approaches to reduce their occurrence could comprise actions helping physicians to relieve stress in their leisure time. Furthermore, measures to increase physicians' resilience by improving coping strategies might prove useful.
Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine at the University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. unrathm@uni-muenster.de
Michael
M
Unrath
Hajo
H
Zeeb
Stephan
S
Letzel
Matthias
M
Claus
Luis Carlos
LC
Escobar Pinzón
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000523:psychology*; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D015995:Prevalence; D012063:Relaxation / Q000523:psychology*; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology