BACKGROUND: Studies suggest a high prevalence of mental illness in physicians. The rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been examined in physicians exposed to traumatic circumstances and physicians in training but never in physicians in regular practice. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of PTSD in physicians practicing in a predominantly rural and remote and medically underserviced region of Canada. METHODS: The PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) was mailed to all 331 physicians in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. A PCL-C score of >or=50 was used to define 'probable' PTSD and >or=30 defined 'possible' PTSD. Additional comments and demographic information were also requested. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were received from 159 physicians (48%). The prevalence of probable PTSD was 4.4%. No differences between demographic groups were observed for probable PTSD, but possible PTSD was more frequent in males than females (47.3% versus 20.4%, chi-square = 10.59, P = 0.001). Mean scores were also higher for males than for females (30.4 versus 25.4, 95% confidence interval for the difference: 1.4-8.5, P = 0.006). Respondents identified overwork, insufficient resources and relationships with colleagues and patients as common stressors. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest a high rate of PTSD in Northwestern Ontario physicians. The prevalence of possible PTSD and mean PCL-C scores are higher in men than in women in this region, which may relate to differences in practice characteristics and the opportunity for exposure to traumatic events.
BACKGROUND: Studies suggest a high prevalence of mental illness in physicians. The rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been examined in physicians exposed to traumatic circumstances and physicians in training but never in physicians in regular practice. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of PTSD in physicians practicing in a predominantly rural and remote and medically underserviced region of Canada. METHODS: The PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) was mailed to all 331 physicians in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. A PCL-C score of >or=50 was used to define 'probable' PTSD and >or=30 defined 'possible' PTSD. Additional comments and demographic information were also requested. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were received from 159 physicians (48%). The prevalence of probable PTSD was 4.4%. No differences between demographic groups were observed for probable PTSD, but possible PTSD was more frequent in males than females (47.3% versus 20.4%, chi-square = 10.59, P = 0.001). Mean scores were also higher for males than for females (30.4 versus 25.4, 95% confidence interval for the difference: 1.4-8.5, P = 0.006). Respondents identified overwork, insufficient resources and relationships with colleagues and patients as common stressors. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest a high rate of PTSD in Northwestern Ontario physicians. The prevalence of possible PTSD and mean PCL-C scores are higher in men than in women in this region, which may relate to differences in practice characteristics and the opportunity for exposure to traumatic events.