Doctors and their spouses speak: stress in medical practice

Abstract

Abstract Many sociological articles assume that the patient‐doctor relationship is satisfactory for the doctor and unsatisfactory for the patient. This paper describes a research project on stress among doctors and their families. It seems that the stress the doctor feels may significantly contribute to the problems of the patient‐doctor relationship. For example, doctors who cannot cope with their own stress may find it difficult to help their patients cope with stress. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of the social structure of medical practice and medical education. Copyright © 1982, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved