THE IMPACT OF PROFESSIONAL ADJUSTMENT ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS OF IMMIGRANT PHYSICIANS

The impact of professional adjustment on the psychological well-being of recent immigrant physicians from the former USSR to Israel was exam ined. Sources, levels and symptoms of distress were measured by the De mographic Psychosocial Inventory, PERI Demoralization Scale and Brief Symptom Inventory. Data were collected from physicians during two stag es in the professional adjustment: the retraining stage (N=379) and th e specialization stage (N=102). The groups differed significantly in t he frequency of reported stressors. Distress level was lower among spe cializing physicians than in the physician retraining phase. From the most prominent symptoms characterizing distress in the retraining phys icians only depression and anxiety persist in specializing physicians. The 'group at risk' for stress-related psychopathology was significan tly smaller in specializing than that in retraining.