How physicians identify with predetermined personalities and links to perceived performance and wellness outcomes: a cross-sectional study

BMC Health Services Research

Jean E Wallace¹  Jane B Lemaire² 

[1] Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary T2N 1N4, Alberta, Canada;Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary Health Sciences Center, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary T2N 4N1, Alberta, Canada

关键词: Health;    Self-assessment;    Personality;   

Others  :  1090455
DOI  :  10.1186/s12913-014-0616-z

 received in 2014-05-02, accepted in 2014-11-18,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Certain personalities are ascribed to physicians. This research aims to measure the extent to which physicians identify with three predetermined personalities (workaholic, Type A and control freak) and to explore links to perceptions of professional performance, and wellness outcomes.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study using a mail-out questionnaire sent to all practicing physicians (2957 eligible, 1178 responses, 40% response rate) in a geographical health region within a western Canadian province. Survey items were used to assess the extent to which participants felt they are somewhat of a workaholic, Type A and/or control freak, and if they believed that having these personalities makes one a better doctor. Participants’ wellness outcomes were also measured. Zero-order correlations were used to determine the relationships between physicians identifying with a personality and feeling it makes one a better doctor. T-tests were used to compare measures of physician wellness for those who identified with the personality versus those who did not.

Results

53% of participants identified with the workaholic personality, 62% with the Type A, and 36% with the control freak. Identifying with any one of the personalities was correlated with feeling it makes one a better physician. There were statistically significant differences in several wellness outcomes comparing participants who identified with the personalities versus those who did not. These included higher levels of emotional exhaustion (workaholic, Type A and control freak), higher levels of anxiety (Type A and control freak) and higher levels of depression, poorer mental health and lower levels of job satisfaction (control freak). Participants who identified with the workaholic personality versus those who did not reported higher levels of job satisfaction, rewarding patient experiences and career commitment.

Conclusions

Most participants identified with at least one of the three personalities. The beliefs of some participants that these personalities enhance professional performance may reinforce the harmful behaviors associated with poor wellness outcomes. Future research should further explore links between physician personality, perceptions of performance and actual performance, and more definitively address whether the perceived benefits offered by identifying with the workaholic personality are enough to counter the potential costs to physician wellness.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Lemaire and Wallace; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Basic behavioral science research for mental health vulnerability and resilience Am Psychol 1996, 51(1):22-28.
• [2]Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) Manual. Psychological Assessment Resources, Odessa, Florida; 1992.
• [3]Matthews G, Deary IJ, Whiteman MC: Personality Traits. 2003.
• [4]Jung CG: Psychological types. Routledge, London; 1989.
• [5]Briggs I, Myers PB: Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type. Davies-Black Publishing, Mountain View, CA; 1980.
• [6]Cloninger RC, Svrakic DM, Przybeck TR: A psychobiological model of temperament and character. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1993, 50:975-990.
• [7]Boyd R, Brown T: Pilot study of myers briggs type indicator personality profiling in emergency department senior medical staff. Emerg Med Australas 2005, 17(3):200-203.
• [8]Kluger MT, Laidlaw TM, Kruger N, Harrison MJ: Personality traits of anaesthetists and physicians: An evaluation using the cloninger temperament and character inventory (TCI-125). Anaesthesia 1999, 54(10):926-935.
• [9]Foulkrod KH, Field C, Brown CV: Trauma surgeon personality and job satisfaction: Results from a national survey. Am Surg 2009, 76(4):422-427.
• [10]Duberstein P, Meldrum S, Fiscella K, Shields CG, Epstein RM: Influences on patients’ ratings of physicians: Physicians demographics and personality. Patient Educ Couns 2006, 65(2):270-274.
• [11]Chapman BP, Duberstein PR, Epstein RM, Fiscella K, Kravitz RL: Patient-centered communication during primary care visits for depressive symptoms: What is the role of physician personality? Med Care 2008, 46(8):806-812.
• [12]Sotile WM, Sotile MO: The angry physician-part 1. the temper-tantruming physician. Physician Exec 1996, 22(8):30-34.
• [13]Gabbard GO: The role of compulsiveness in the normal physician. JAMA 1985, 254(20):2926-2929.
• [14]Lesser CS, Lucey CR, Egener B, Braddock CH, Linas SL, Levinson W: A behavioral and systems view of professionalism. JAMA 2010, 304(24):2732-2737.
• [15]Wallace JE, Lemaire JB, Ghali WA: Physician wellness: a missing quality indicator. Lancet 2009, 374(9702):1714-1721.
• [16]Tyssen R, Dolatowski FC, Rovik JO, Thorkildsen RF, Ekeberg O, Hem E, Gude T, Gronvold NT, Vaglum P: Personality traits and types predict medical school stress: a six-year longitudinal and nationwide study. Med Educ 2007, 41(8):781-787.
• [17]Connor-Smith JK, Flachsbart C: Relations between personality and coping: a meta-analysis. J Pers Soc Psychol 2007, 93(6):1080-1107.
• [18]Spickard A Jr, Gabbe SG, Christensen JF: Mid-career burnout in generalist and specialist physicians. JAMA 2002, 288(12):1447-1450.
• [19]Ripp J, Babyatsky M, Fallar R, Bazari H, Bellini L, Kapadia C, Katz JT, Pecker M, Korenstein D: The incidence and predictors of job burnout in first-year internal medicine residents: a five-institution study. Acad Med 2011, 86:1304-1310.
• [20]Shaffer JW, Graves PL, Swank RT, Pearson TA: Clustering of personality traits in youth and the subsequent development of cancer among physicians. J Behav Med 1987, 10(5):441-447.
• [21]Barefoot JC, Dahlstrom WG, Williams RB Jr: Hostility, CHD incidence, and total mortality: A 25-year follow-up study of 255 physicians. Psychosom Med 1983, 45(1):59-63.
• [22]Friedman M: The physician’s own type A behavior pattern. Fam Community Health 1980, 3(2):89-91.
• [23]Wallace JE, Lemaire JB. Determinants of physician well being: Stage one report. Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and the Calgary Health Region. June 2008.
• [24]Oates WE: Confessions of a Workaholic. 1971.
• [25]Friedman M: Type A Behavior: Its Diagnosis and Treatment. Plenum Press (Kluwer Academic Press), New York; 1996.
• [26]Parrot L. The control freak. Tyndale House Publishers. 2001.
• [27]Results and implications of the AMA-APA physician mortality project. stage II. council on scientific affairs. JAMA. 1987 Jun 5;257(21):2949–53.
• [28]Beevers CG, Miller IW: Perfectionism, cognitive bias, and hopelessness as prospective predictors of suicidal ideation. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2004, 34(2):126-137.
• [29]Hamilton TK, Schweitzer RD: The cost of being perfect: Perfectionism and suicide ideation in university students. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2000, 34(5):829-835.
• [30]Flett GL, Hewitt PL: Perfectionism and maladjustment: An overview of theoretical, definitional, and treatment issues. In Perfectionsim: Theory, Research, and Treatment. Edited by Flett GL, Hewitt PL. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, USA; 2002:5-31.
• [31]Wallace JE, Lemaire JB: Determinants of Physician well being: Stage two report. the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and the Calgary Health Region. 2009.
• [32]Barnett RC, Brennan RT, Gareis KC: A closer look at the measurement of burnout. J Appl Biobehav Res 1999, 4:65-78.
• [33]Williams ES, Konrad TR, Linzer M, McMurray J, Pathman DE, Gerrity M, Schwartz MD, Scheckler WE, Douglas J: Physician, practice, and patient characteristics related to primary care physician physical and mental health: Results from the physician worklife study. Health Serv Res 2002, 37(1):121-143.
• [34]Wallace JE. Juggling it all: A study of lawyers’ work, home and family demands and coping strategies, report of stage two findings. LSAC Research Report Series: A Publication of the Law School Admission Council. 2004.
• [35]Brayfield AH, Rothe HF: An index of job satisfaction. J Appl Psychol 1952, 35:307-331.
• [36]Wallace JE, Tighe RJ. Human service workers’ responses to works: A study of job dissatisfaction, job stress and burnout. The Vocational and Rehabilitation Research Institute. 1994.
• [37]Konrad TR, Williams ES, Linzer M, McMurray J, Pathman DE, Gerrity M, Schwartz MD, Scheckler WE, Van Kirk J, Rhodes E, Douglas J: Measuring physician job satisfaction in a changing workplace and a challenging environment. SGIM career satisfaction study group. society of general internal medicine. Med Care 1999, 37(11):1174-1182.
• [38]McCranie EW, Brandsma JM: Personality antecedents of burnout among middle-aged physicians. Hosp Top 1988, 67(4):32-37.
• [39]Hojat M, Nasca TJ, Magee M, Feeney K, Pascual R, Urbano F, Gonnella JS: A comparison of the personality profiles of internal medicine residents, physician role models, and the general population. Acad Med 1999, 74(12):1327-1333.
• [40]Jerant A, Griffin E, Rainwater J, Henderson M, Sousa F, Bertakis KD, Klea D, Fenton JJ, Franks P: Does applicant personality influence multiple mini-interview performance and medical school acceptance offers? Acad Med 2012, 87(9):1250-1259.
• [41]Wallace JE, Lemaire JB: Physician well being and quality of patient care: An exploratory study of the missing link. Psychol Health Med 2009, 14(5):545-552.
• [42]The “Respectable” addiction. 2013.
• [43]McManus IC, Keeling A, Paice E: Stress, burnout and doctors’ attitudes to work are determined by personality and learning style: A twelve year longitudinal study of UK medical graduates. BMC Med 2004, 2:29. BioMed Central Full Text
• [44]Lue BH, Chen HJ, Wang CW, Cheng Y, Chen MC: Stress, personal characteristics and burnout among first postgraduate year residents: A nationwide study in taiwan. Med Teach 2010, 32(5):400-407.
• [45]Shanafelt TD, Boone S, Tan L, Dyrbye LN, Sotile W, Satele D, West CP, Sloan J, Oreskovich MR: Burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance among US physicians relative to the general US population. Arch Intern Med 2012, 172(18):1377-1385.
• [46]Furnham AF: Knowing and faking one’s five factor personality score. J Pers Assess 1997, 69(1):229-243.
• [47]Dyrbye L, West C, Shanafelt TD: Defining burnout as a dichotomous variable. J Gen Intern Med 2009, 24(3):440.
• [48]Norman GR, Sloan JA, Wyrwich KW: Interpretation of changes in health-related quality of life: the remarkable universality of half a standard deviation. Med Care 2003, 41(5):582-592.