Affiliations: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of
Insurance Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden | Department of Behavioural Science, Linköpings
Universitet, Linköping, Sweden
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Kristina Alexanderson, Department of
Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Insurance Medicine, Karolinska Institutet,
171 77, Stockholm, Sweden. Tel.: +46 8524 83200; Fax: +46 8524 83205; E-mail:
kristina.alexanderson@ki.se
Abstract: Objective: Research is limited regarding occupational stress and
coping strategies among academic physicians; professionals whose work situation
includes the three areas of clinical practice, research, and teaching. The aim
was to gain knowledge of stress-coping strategies used by academic
physicians. Participants: Seventeen academic physicians employed at the
University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden. Methods: Qualitative analyses were conducted of data from five
focus-group interviews. Results: We identified eight different categories of coping
strategies, e.g. self-awareness, time management, to cut corners, and to be in
control. We also attempted to fit the dimensions of coping strategies into the
models proposed by Folkman and Lazarus and Beehr and McGrath, respectively. The
strategies were predominantly used to prevent stress from occurring, to manage
anticipated stress, or to handle stress when occurring. Furthermore, the
majority of the strategies identified could be placed in the problem-focused
category, which we divided in a behavioural and a cognitive sub-category and in
a new cognitive problem-focused and emotion-focused category. Conclusion: The study contributes to a wider understanding of the
stress coping strategies academic physicians use. Further studies are needed to
determine the consequences of these findings in order to enable the design of
measures to reduce and prevent stress among academic physicians.
Keywords: Occupational stress, coping strategies, psychosocial work environment, physician
