Zhongguo quanke yixue (Oct 2024)
A Preliminary Study of the Relationship between Personality Traits and Job Stress in Chinese General Practitioners: a Survey Based on the Job Demands and Resources Model
Abstract
Objective Job demands and job resources are drivers of health and wellbeing of workfoce. This study aimed to explore the influence of personality traits on job stress in the Job Demands and Resources (JD-R) model. Methods May 2023, self-administered questionnaires for the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) and the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) were distributed online to general practitioners (GPs) of 26 public community health centres of Luohu Hospital Group, Shenzhen China. 69.6% GPs completed the questionnaires. The BJSQ included job demands (8 items), job resources (8 task-level items, 11 workgroup-level items, 8 organisational-level items) and related outcomes (10 items). The personality traits including extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness. The median as well as the 25th and 75th percentiles were used to indicate the central tendency and the degree of dispersion of the items, and Pearson's correlation coefficient and ANOVA were used to test the correlational factors of the different personality traits and the JD-R model. Results The personality traits of GPs, both male and female, were dominated by conscientiousness. agreeableness and conscientiousness were the dominant traits for those under 40 years of age and those in lower professional hierarchy, while emotional stability and conscientiousness were the dominant traits for those 40 years of age and over and those in higher professional hierarchy. The Big Five Personality Traits were related to interpersonal conflict, role conflict, job control, job adaptability, value of work, support from family and friends, job security, coping with organisational change, psychological stress, family satisfaction, job involvement, and job performance (P<0.01), but not to qualitative workload, or work predictability. Agreeableness (r=0.295, P<0.01) and emotional stability (r=0.196, P<0.01) were associated with workplace harassment. Correlation of emotional stability and JD-R model was evident statistically. Conclusion Personality traits are closely related to Chinese GPs work stress, psychosocial work environment and outcomes, and can be used as predictors with the JD-R model. Future research on professional burnout should consider personality traits as independent variable. Recommendation The authors suggest including personality, emotional intelligence, logical reasoning, and interpersonal relationship tests in the recruitment of students or trainees in medical schools and vocational training programs, in order to select and recruit suitable people for the delivery of medical services. Doctors with different personality traits could be supported with job demands and resources according to their individual characteristics to reduce professional burnout and improve work efficiency and patient care outcome. The authors called further studies on the relationship of Chinese doctor's personality traits and their study and working stress and performance.
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