Relationship between Work-Family Conflict, Coping Strategies, Social Support and Mental Wellbeing among Healthcare Providers

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.