How hospital consultants cope with stress at work: implications for their mental health

Aims . This study examined the ways in which hospital consultants commonly cope with stress at work, and the relationships of these behaviours with their mental health. Methods . Eight hundred and eighty‐two consultants returned a postal questionnaire asking them how frequently they used various behaviours in response to stress at work. The prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was estimated using the 12‐item General Health Questionnaire. Findings . Hospital consultants who maintained a balanced, healthy lifestyle while experiencing stress at work were approximately half as likely as those who did not to have psychiatric morbidity [odds ratio 0.44 (0.31–0.61)]. Consultants who used alcohol or non‐prescription drugs in response to stress at work were more than twice as likely as those who did not to have psychiatric morbidity [odds ratio 2.22 (1.58–3.12)]. Over a quarter of the consultants were estimated to have clinically significant psychiatric morbidity, but only a very few had sought professional help in the last few months. Implications . Hospital consultants should be made aware that the strategies they adopt to try to reduce the stress they experience through their work can influence their mental health both positively and negatively.