Abstract
Objective: To identify and quantify factors that contribute to rural physicians' satisfaction with their jobs and life as a whole.Design: Cross-sectional, mailed survey. Study population: Family physicians practicing in rural communities eligible for British Columbia's Northern and Isolation Allowance. Main measures: Demographics, Domain satisfaction, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Life Satisfaction.Results: Stepwise multiple regressions reveal the greatest predicators of rural physician overall life satisfaction are satisfaction with jobs, personal relationships, health, finances, and absence of depression. These predictors account for 70% of the variation in rural physician overall life satisfaction. The greatest predictors of rural physician satisfaction with jobs and satisfaction with current place of residence/practice, on-call shifts, personal accomplishments, and absence of emotional exhaustion. The predictors account for 44% of the variation in rural physician job satisfaction.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Adams, J.: 1998, 'Crisis in rural medicine', BCMJ 40(5): 105–106.
Appleton, K., A. House and A. Dowell: 1998, 'A survey of job satisfaction, sources of stress and psychological symptoms among general practitioners in Leeds', Br J Gen Pract 48(428), pp. 1059–1063.
Bland, R. C., S. C. Newman and H. Orn: 1988, 'Period prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Edmonton', Act Psychiatr Scan 77(Suppl 338), pp. 33–42.
British Columbia Medical Association Rural Physicians Committee: 1998, Attracting and Retaining Physicians in Rural British Columbia, November, p. 52.
Cooper, C., U. Rout and B. Faragher: 1989, 'Mental health, job satisfaction, and job stress among general practitioners', BMJ 298, pp. 366–370.
Cummins, R. A.: 1998, 'The second approximation to an international standard for life satisfaction', Social Indicators Research 43, pp. 307–334.
Firth-Cozens, J.: 1997, 'Predicting stress in general practitioners: 10 year follow-up postal survey', BMJ 315, pp. 34–35.
Kazanjian, A. and N. Pagliccia: 1996, 'Key factors in physicians' choice of practice location: Findings from a survey of practitioners and their spouses', Health and Place 2(1), pp. 27–34.
Kazanjian, A., N. Pagliccia, L. Apland, S. Cavalier and L. Wood: 1991, 'Study of rural physician supply: Practice location decisions and problems in retention', HHRU 91, p. 2 (University of British Columbia), p. 114.
Linn, L. S., J. Yager, D. W. Cope and B. Leake: 1985, 'Health status, job satisfaction, job stress, and life satisfaction among academic and clinical faculty', JAMA 254, pp. 2775–2782.
Linn, L. S., J. Yager, D. W. Cope and B. Leake: 1986, 'Factors associated with life satisfaction among practising internists', Medical Care 24(9), pp. 830–837.
Mainous III, A. G., M. Ramsbottom-Lucier and E. Rich: 1994, 'The role of clinical workload and satisfaction with workload in rural primary care physician retention', Arch Fam Med 3, pp. 787–792.
Maslach, C., S. E. Jackson and M. P. Leiter: 1996, Maslach Burnout Inventory Manual, 4th edn. (Consulting Psychologists Press, Pal Alto).
McCranie, E. W. and J. M. Brandsma: 1988, 'Personality antecedents of burnout among middle aged physicians', Behav Med 14(1), pp. 30–36.
Michalos, A. C.: Global Report on Student Well-Being. Volume III: Employment, Finances, Housing and Transportation (Springer-Verlag, New York), p. 306.
Michalos, A. C., B. D. Zumbo and A. Hubley: 2000, 'Health and quality of life', Social Indicators Research 51, pp. 245–286.
Parikh, S. V., D. Wasylenki, P. Goering and J. Wong: 1996, 'Mood disorders: Rural/urban differences in prevalence, health care utilization, and disability in Ontario', J Affective Disorders 38, pp. 57–65.
Rafferty, J. P., J. P. Lemkau, R. R. Purdy and J. R. Rudisill: 1986, 'Validity of the Maslach burnout inventory for family physicians', J Clin Psychology 42(3), pp. 488–492.
Sibbald, B. 1998: 'In your face: A new wave of militant doctors lashes out', CMAJ 158(11), pp. 1505–1509.
Snedecor, G. W. and W. G. Cochran: 1980, Statistical Methods, 7th edn. (Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa).
Thommasen, H. V., M. Lavanchy, I. Connelly, J. Berkowitz and S. Grzybowski: 2001, 'Mental health, job satisfaction, and intention to relocate: Opinions of physicians in rural British Columbia', Can Fam Physician 47, pp. 737–744.
Thommasen, H. V., I. Connelly, M. Lavanchy, J. Berkowitz and G. Grzybowski: 2001, 'Burnout, depression, and moving away: How are they related?', Can Fam Physician 47, pp. 747–749.
Thommasen, H. V., M. Van Der Weyde, A. C. Michalos, B. D. Zumbo and C. A. Hagan: 2002, 'Satisfaction with work and quality of life among British Columbia's physicians', BCMJ 44(4), pp. 188–195.
Warr, P., J. Cook and T. Wall: 1979, 'Scales for the measurement of some work attitudes and aspects of psychological well-being', J Occup Psychol 52, pp. 11–28.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lavanchy, M., Connelly, I., Grzybowski, S. et al. Determinants of Rural Physicians' Life and Job Satisfaction. Social Indicators Research 69, 93–101 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SOCI.0000032662.79752.e8
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SOCI.0000032662.79752.e8