HEALTH COMPLAINTS AND JOB STRESS IN NORWEGIAN PHYSICIANS - THE USE OFAN OVERLAPPING QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN

An extensive research program has been undertaken in Norway on physici an health, sickness, working conditions and quality of life. Data are collected from cross-sectional and longitudinal prospective and retros pective surveys, qualitative studies, and vital statistics. This paper presents findings on subjectively experienced health problems, emotio nal distress, experienced job stress and job satisfaction, based on an extensive cross-sectional postal questionnaire study in 1993. An over lapping questionnaire design was used to allow many relationships to b e estimated without exhausting the recipients. 9266 active physicians were included, which comprises close to the total Norwegian physician work-force minus a representative sample of 2100, used for other studi es. The primary questionnaire was returned by 6652 (71.8%), the great majority of which also returned three secondary questionnaires. The re sults indicate that health complaints were significantly more frequent in female physicians and decreased with age. Low job satisfaction, hi gh job stress, and emotional distress were all found to be significant predictors of subjective health complaints, as measured by the Ursin Health Inventory. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.