S Bello1, M C Asuzu, A N Ofili. 1. Department of Community Medicine, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, P. O. Box 1750i Calabar, Nigeria. drsegunbello@yahoo.com
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Employees should be happy at their work, considering the amount of time they devote to it throughout their working life. There is paucity of data on the job satisfaction and psychological health of medical doctors in Nigeria. OBJECTIVE: To assess the level of job satisfaction and its relationship to psychological health among medical doctors in a southern city of Nigeria. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive survey. SETTING: Three major public hospitals in Calabar, Nigeria. SUBJECTS: Medical doctors who had worked for at least six months in the hospitals. RESULTS: Response rate was 73.0%. More than half (56.7%) of the respondents expressed overall satisfaction with their job. Inadequate pay and work overload were the most commonly mentioned reasons for job dissatisfaction. About a fifth of the respondents were at increased likelihood of psychological disorder. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between job satisfaction scores and GHQ scores. Satisfied respondents were least likely to have psychological disorder. CONCLUSION: Causes of job dissatisfaction among medical doctors should be addressed to improve their psychological health.
BACKGROUND: Employees should be happy at their work, considering the amount of time they devote to it throughout their working life. There is paucity of data on the job satisfaction and psychological health of medical doctors in Nigeria. OBJECTIVE: To assess the level of job satisfaction and its relationship to psychological health among medical doctors in a southern city of Nigeria. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive survey. SETTING: Three major public hospitals in Calabar, Nigeria. SUBJECTS: Medical doctors who had worked for at least six months in the hospitals. RESULTS: Response rate was 73.0%. More than half (56.7%) of the respondents expressed overall satisfaction with their job. Inadequate pay and work overload were the most commonly mentioned reasons for job dissatisfaction. About a fifth of the respondents were at increased likelihood of psychological disorder. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between job satisfaction scores and GHQ scores. Satisfied respondents were least likely to have psychological disorder. CONCLUSION: Causes of job dissatisfaction among medical doctors should be addressed to improve their psychological health.