Shaista Zeeshan, Rukhsana Roshan, Rehama Ahsan Gilani, Maham Zahid.
Why Stress? a Comparative Descriptive study of Perceived Stress Levels among Working and Non-Working Female Medical Doctors.
J Islamic Int Med Coll Jan ;16(4):265-73.

Objective: To identify different levels of stress and determine significant risk factors among working and non-working female medical doctors in Islamabad/Rawalpindi city Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional Place and Duration of Study: Rawalpindi/Islamabad from September to December 2019 Materials and Methods: 240 respondents were selected by simple random and snowball sampling. Study subjects included working and nonworking female doctors. Scoring was done on the basis PhoenX Tool Kit for Chronic Stress. Results: Among the total respondents 17.1% were found to be highly stressed however remaining 75.8% were moderately stressed. Significant difference in stress scores was observed between working (9.2% highly stressed) and nonworking (25% highly stressed) female doctors (p=0.003). Mean optimal score was 28.15 for doctors working in public hospitals as compared to 22.1 for those working in private hospitals (p<0.001). Medical officers were found to be stressed to a greater extent (54.5%) as compared to registrars (45.5%) and consultants. Number of dependent family members, years since graduation, stressful financial situation and cooperation of husband/in-laws were found to be significant stressors among both groups. However, among non-working female doctors, their financial situation, non-cooperation of husband/family, more dependent family members, low self-esteem and self-confidence were significant stressors. Conclusion: It is concluded that medicine is inherently a stressful profession for both working and non-working females. Working female doctors have high rates of anxiety, depression, and marital problems, while non-working females have social environment, less appreciation by the society and monotonous lifestyle.

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