title: Personality traits and styles of coping with stress in physicians.
abstract: The stress of being a doctor and being responsible for own decisions is one of the most intense feelings the doctors have to cope with. The stress coping styles are determined by the factors dependent on psychological variables such as personality.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of study was to assess the relation between personality traits and stress coping among physicians.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group consisted of 50 physicians (males n=25; 50%) employed in Norbert Barlicki Memorial Medical University Teaching Hospital No 1 in Lodz. The stress coping styles were assessed using Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, whereas the tool used for personality assessment was NEO Five Factor Inventory of Personality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Task-oriented coping (TOC) was the predominant stress coping style among physicians (mean sten value 6.7±2.0; high sten scores - 8-10 in 38%). Among all dimensions of the doctors' personality, extraversion predominated significantly (mean sten value 9.7±0.7). Neuroticism correlated positively with emotional oriented coping (EOC) (r=0.43). Extraversion influenced more infrequent adoption of EOC by males (r=-0.43) and older subjects (≥44years) (r=-0.52). Conscientiousness influenced more frequent adoption of TOC by females (r=0.46). Both the doctors' age (r=-0.49 p<0.05)), and duration of employment (r=-0.49 p<0.05)) significantly correlated negatively with AOC. The doctors' gender did not affect their stress coping styles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Task oriented coping was the dominant stress coping style among physicians. High levels of neuroticism correlated positively, and those of extraversion negatively with the adoption of emotional oriented coping with stress. The tendency to choose the avoidance oriented coping decreases with the physicians' age and duration of employment.
authors.affiliation: Copernicus Memorial Hospital in Lodz, Poland: Department of Pediatrics and Allergy.
authors.forename: Paulina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kwarta
authors.affiliation: Copernicus Memorial Hospital in Lodz, Poland: Rheumatology Department.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pietrzak
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Lodz, Poland: Department of Cardiology.
authors.forename: Dawid
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miśkowiec
authors.affiliation: Copernicus Memorial Hospital in Lodz, Poland: Department of Pediatrics and Allergy.
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stelmach
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Lodz, Poland: Department of Pneumology and Allergology, Institute of Internal Medicine.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Górski
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Lodz, Poland: Department of Internal Diseases, Asthma and Allergy;
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kuna
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Lodz, Poland: Department of General Pulmonology and Oncology.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antczak
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Lodz, Poland: Department of Clinical Pharmacology.
authors.forename: Tadeusz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pietras
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011044:Poland; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Style of Coping with Stress; personality; physicians; stress