[Work load and work related stress factors among Hungarian psychiatrists]. / A munkamegterhelés és a munkával kapcsolatos stressztényezok a magyarországi pszichiáterek körében.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This study represents the continuation of previous research published in Psychiatria Hungarica in two papers, "The health of psychiatrists in Hungary" and "Hungarian psychiatrists' views on their career and future", which evaluated the quality of life of Hungarian psychiatrists. AIMS: To explore work-related stressors including workload among psychiatrists in Hungary. METHODS: Epidemiological study of a sample of psychiatrists (N=220) to explore the objective and subjective dimensions of workload and the level of burnout. RESULTS: We have found high prevalence of work-related stressors both in terms of objective factors (e.g., high number of work hours and multiple employment) and subjective factors (e.g., feeling stressed, over-loaded with work, lack of peer support, effort-reward inbalance). We have also found low levels of personal accomplishment, one of the dimensions of burnout. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of workload and work stress may adversely impact psychiatrists' health status and may thus have a negative effect on patient care, which may have significant public health consequences in terms of morbidity and mortality.