School of Health Policy and Management
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Browsing School of Health Policy and Management by Author "Bergman, B"
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Item Open Access Physician health, stress and gender at a university hospital(Wolters Kluwer, 2003-02) Bergman, B; Ahmad, F; Stewart, Donna EileenObjective: To determine personal and work related factors contributing to physician health and stress in men and women physicians in a university hospital. Method: Mail survey of 161 hospital-based Canadian academic physicians (51 women, 110 men). Results: Women compared to men, physicians were younger (M= 43 years, S.D. = 7.4 vs. M= 48 years, S.D. = 8.64; P=.001) and fewer had spouses (76% vs. 90%; P= .01) and children (76% vs. 91%; P=.02). A five-item scale measured somatic symptoms, the dependent variable. Among physicians of both gender, the somatic symptoms scale was significantly correlated with satisfaction with amount of time spent working and scales of mental health (five items), work satisfaction (five items), workload (five items), healthy lifestyle (five items), coping abilities (three items) and support-in-stress (two items). On stepwise regression analysis, for women physicians, 70% of the variance in somatic symptoms was explained by support from colleagues when stressed, and workload. For men, 42% of the variance was explained by healthy lifestyle, mental health, support from colleagues when stressed, and workload. Regardless of gender, the majority of physicians reported an excessive workload but the sources of support when stressed varied by gender. Conclusion: Different strategies are needed for women and men physicians to reduce their stress levels.Item Open Access Women physicians and stress(Mary Ann Liebert, 2000-03) Stewart, Donna Eileen; Ahmad, F; Cheung, Angela M.; Bergman, B; Dell, DLMost women physicians enjoy better than average physical health and lead satisfying and productive lives. However, higher than average rates of depression, anxiety, marital problems, and substance abuse have been reported by some, but not all, authors. This quantitative survey of 196 women physicians and qualitative focus groups with 48 other women physicians was conducted to determine perceptions of their health, stress, satisfaction, knowledge, and abuse rates in medical practice. Eight specialties plus family practice physicians participated. The average age was 44.1 years (SD 8.8, range 23–77). Seventy-four percent of women physicians were married, with children. Specialists and family physicians were similar in all demographic characteristics except that family physicians were more significantly likely to be divorced, separated, or widowed (p ≤ 0.01). Specialists perceived their personal physical health to be better than that of family doctors (p ≤ 0.05), and family physicians rated their medical knowledge better than that of specialists (p ≤ 0.0001). Women physicians over age 50 or with children over age 19 reported the best mental health (p ≤ 0.0001 and 0.003, respectively). Overall, 49% of women physicians reported usually having high levels of stress, 44% felt mentally tired, and 17% took antidepressant drugs. Seventy-three percent reported verbal abuse at work (71% in the last year), and 33% reported physical assault at work (11% in the last year). Focus groups identified three major sources of stress: high expectations, multiple roles, and work environment. These results are discussed and compared with the literature. Both personal and systemic strategies are required to solve the problems identified. Women physicians can facilitate the adoption of some of these strategies by sharing information about successes, challenges, and solutions.Item Open Access Work family balance, stress, and salivary cortisol in men and women academic physicians(Springer, 2008-03) Bergman, B; Ahmad, F; Stewart, Donna EileenBackground: The stress of medical practice has been recurrently studied, but work- and family-related determinants of health by gender remain under researched. Purpose: To test the hypothesis that cortisol excretion would be affected by the perceived severity of total workload imbalance. Method: By hierarchical regression analysis, the associations between work-family balance and diurnal salivary cortisol levels by sex in academic physicians (n = 40) were investigated. Results: Men physicians reported more paid work hours per week than women physicians and women more time in childcare, but their total working hours were similar. Controlling for sex and age, the mean of the diurnal cortisol release was associated with a combined effect of sex and responsibility at home. When morning cortisol, sex, and children at home were held constant, cortisol levels in the evening were associated with responsibility at home without significant gender interaction. Conclusion: With increasing responsibility at home, women and men reacted differently with regard to cortisol responses over the day. However, in the evening, controlling for the morning cortisol, these gender differences were not as obvious. These findings highlight traditional gender patterns among both women and men physicians in the challenge of finding a balance between work and family.