Indian Journal of Dental Research (Jan 2021)

Dentists in India feel hopeless as a fulltime academician: A national survey

  • Srinivasan R Samuel,
  • V Keerthi Narayan,
  • J Vidhyadharan,
  • Mebin G Mathew,
  • Sunil K Akula

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/ijdr.IJDR_746_19
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 32, no. 2
pp. 243 – 249

Abstract

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Aims: Assess the relationship between job satisfaction and feeling of hopelessness among dental academicians. Settings and Design: Cross sectional study was conducted among dental academicians across India through email and social media using a pretested questionnaire. Methods and Materials: An Internet-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among dental academicians via social media and electronic mail (e-mail) throughout India. Demographics, credentials and job satisfaction across five dimensions (working conditions, pay and promotional potential, work relationships, use of skills and abilities and work activities) were rated on a 5-point Likert scale and a sense of hopelessness was assessed using Brief-H-Neg scale. The results were collected using self-reported Google forms. Bivariate and multivariate analysis were performed to identify the risk towards hopelessness, and the relationship between job satisfaction and hopelessness was assessed using student's t-test. Results and Conclusion: The mean hopelessness score among dissatisfied faculty was 8.5 and among satisfied was 5.6 (P < 0.05). Tutors, assistants and associate professors with salary of INR <50000/month were highly dissatisfied (P < 0.05), and those willing to quit reported significantly lesser hopelessness compared to no/maybe. Regarding job satisfaction, greater hopelessness was reported with poor work relationships, poor working conditions and poor pay and promotional opportunities (P < 0.05). Dental academicians in India are highly dissatisfied with their career as a full-time teaching faculty. Willingness to quit has a positive effect on hopelessness, depicting the stress faculties experience in institutions. Job satisfaction among academicians plays a vital role in the student's dental learning experience and dissatisfaction will have huge ramifications on the quality of dental education and future graduates in India.

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