Occupational Stress among Doctors: An Explorative Study

Doctors working in government organizations have been contributing to the public against all odds amidst various types of stressors. There is a strong need to identify these stressors and understand their experiences in order to help them deal with it effectively. Hence, in the present study is an attempt is made to understand the level of stress and also to identify the specific personal and work related factors that may contribute to the occupational stress of Doctors. Occupational Stress Index (Srivastava & Singh, 1984) along with a Bio-data sheet (which includes the information related to other personal and work related factors) were administered on a sample of 100 Doctors. The sample consists of Doctors (M=60,F=40) within the age group of 30 to 60 years employed in government organizations in Hubli, Dharwad and Belgaum cities of Northern Karnataka. The scrutinized data was subjected to descriptive analysis and Stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis using SPSS (9.0). descriptive statistics reveal moderate level of Ocuupational stress on 12 dimensions of OSI. Among the variables entered in the regression model-expressed Job satisfaction and Caste and religion have emerged as significant predictors of the occupational stress among doctors. Results are discussed in detail and the implications are suggested.