Development of a scale to assess occupational stress in Rural General Practitioners

One hundred and eighty-four physicians or General Practitioners (GPs) in the five Divisions of General Practice in Rural New South Wales, Australia, completed scales designed to assess Workplace Stressors, Negative Affect caused by stressors, General Work Stress, Other Stress, and General Health. GP Stress was positively correlated with Negative Affect, General Work Stress, poor Psychological Health, poor Somatic Health, Anxiety, Social Dysfunction, and Depression. Results showed that the Rural GP Stress Scale (scale that assessed the presence of stressors in the GPs' work environment) possessed concurrent or criterion validity. Factor analysis of GP Stress scores revealed Workload, Family and Leisure Considerations, Bureaucratic Interference, Education and Training Considerations, and Professional Isolation as five of the nine major stressors in the GPs' work environment. Re-testing, 4–6 weeks later, revealed that the Rural GP Stress Scale was highly reliable.