Abstract:
It is a well-known fact that the work of healthcare providers is one of the most stressful
professions. One third of the physicians suffer from anxiety and depression in Pakistan. The
nature of doctor’s job leads to imbalance between their work and family responsibilities, hence
causing work family conflict. Work-family conflict is a serious stress factor at work which leads
to impaired well-being among healthcare providers. Ignoring the wellbeing of healthcare
providers would not only put them at risk, but would also have harmful impact on their jobs and
their patients as wellbeing influences both the organization and performance of healthcare
providers. A correlational study was conducted among 154 healthcare providers in Pakistan.
Work and Family Conflict Scale (WAFCS), Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF),
Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and Coping Inventory for Stressful
Situations (CISS) were the main psychometric instruments used in the study. There was a
significant and negative relationship between Work Family Conflict and Mental Wellbeing of
healthcare providers. Significantly higher level of WFC was found among (i) males as compared
to females (ii) married as compared to unmarried healthcare providers and (iii) young as
compared to older healthcare providers. Coping Strategies didn’t seem to mediate the
relationship between WFC and psychological, social and emotional wellbeing. Family support
and significant others seems to strengthen the negative relationship between WFC and social
wellbeing. Nature of healthcare provider’s job leads to Work-Family Conflict among them. This
causes stress among healthcare providers, which impacts their mental wellbeing negatively.
However, support from family and significant others seem to decrease the level of conflict and
improves the wellbeing of doctors in Pakistan.
