Predictors of success and satisfaction in the practice of psychiatry: A preliminary follow-up study

Background: Few studies have examined the predictors of psychiatrists' perc eived success and personal satisfaction with their careers. The present stu dy examines self-reported success and personal satisfaction with their care ers in a cohort of psychiatrists followed for more than 20 years. Methods: A total of 29 psychiatrists, all of-whom had participated in a stu dy during their residency 21 to 24 years earlier, completed a self-report q uestionnaire. The first set of questions addressed the type and characteris tics of their professional practice, the second set assessed aspects of the ir nonprofessional practice; and the third set assessed aspects of their no nprofessional, personal lifestyles. The personality traits of neuroticism a nd extraversion were assessed during the residency years and were used as p redictors. Composite measures of self-perceived external success and person al satisfaction were computed. Regression models were constructed to determ ine the best predictors of these composite measures. Results: Neuroticism proved to be a significant predictor of external succe ss but not of personal satisfaction, with higher scores predicting a lower rating of perceived external success. There were 2 practice characteristics -involvement with research and practising from an orientation other than ps ychoanalytic-that predicted perception of success. One personal lifestyle c haracteristic-the perception that one's nonprofessional life sustained prof essional life-also predicted perception of success. The best predictor of p ersonal satisfaction was overall satisfaction with nonprofessional aspects of life. Conclusions: Personality, nonprofessional social support, and engaging in r esearch are associated with greater perceived success and personal satisfac tion with a career in psychiatry.