Investigation of Psychological Characteristics of Greek Doctors Specializing in General- Family

1. Investigation of Psychological Characteristics of Greek Doctors Specializing in General- Family Medicine and in Internal Medicine Pappas, P., Gourgoulianis, K.I, Hatzoglou, C., Kotrotsiou, E. & Gouva M. Medical School - Postgraduate Program “Primary Care Health”, University of Thessaly – Greece In comparing the two groups using the T-Test, it was observed that the residents of Family Medicine showed a statistically higher mean value compared to the residents Internal Medicine in the subscales of: characterological shame (Ρ=0,000), behavioral shame (Ρ=0,001), bodily shame (Ρ=0,003), total shame ESS (Ρ=0,000), empty (OAS) (Ρ=0,036), criticism of others (Ρ=0,009), self-criticism (Ρ=0,000), Guilt, (Ρ=0,008), intropunitiveness (Ρ=0,000), Total hostility (HDHQ) (Ρ=0,002), neuroticism (EPQ) (Ρ=0,002), and an statistically lower mean value compared to the residents of Internal Medicine in the subscales of: mistakes(OAS) (Ρ=0,023), Anxiety (SCL-90) (Ρ=0,029), Phobic Anxiety (SCL-90) (Ρ=0,035) and Psychotism (EPQ) (Ρ=0,008). Introduction Results . The relatively recent propagation of the medical specialty of Family Medicine in Greece created a new reality in the Greek society. This resulted in the “co-inhabitation” of the Family Medicine specialists and the Internal Medicine specialists in various Primary Care units of the country. It was a commonplace, in the past decades, that due to the lack of Family Medicine specialists, the role of “family doctors” was mainly held by Internal Medicine specialists, a fact has changed during the past decade. Aim To investigate the internal and external shame of the specializing doctors (residents) in Family Medicine and Internal Medicine and the comparison of both groups. To further investigate possible Psychological differences between the two groups. 102 Greek specializing doctors (residents), 52 in specializing in General-Family Medicine and 50 specializing in Internal Medicine participated in the present study. The measuring tools used were: a) the Other As Shamer Scale (OAS), b) the Experience of Shame Scale (ESS), c) the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire (HDHQ), d) The Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) e) Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and f) a questionnaire concerning socio-demographic information. Materials and Methods Table 1: Differences psychometric scales between GP’s and Internists. The results of the study are supporting the common belief that the specialty of Family Medicine has not yet obtained a specific and distinct role and furthermore has not yet gained the necessary recognition by the Greek society. Some of the results are greatly different compared to results of similar foreign studies. This difference can be attributed to the relatively recent introduction of the specialty of Family (General) Medicine in Greece which makes it difficult for the residents of Family Medicine to shape a distinct professional identity when compared to the residents of Internal Medicine. Conclusion • Dardavesis Th., Konstantinidis Th. Galanos. A. (1991). Choice of specialties between medical students of AristotleUniversity of Thessaloniki, EpitheorisiYgeias 1991, 2:59–63 24. • Gupta, R., Vohra, AK.,  Gupta, A.,  Singla, SL. (2002). A study of hostility, career choice and job satisfaction among surgeons Medical Journal Armed Forces India, 58(3), 210-213. • Finset, KB., Gude, T., Hem, E., Tyssen, R., Oivind Ekeberg, O. & Vaglum, P. (2005). Which young physicians are satisfied with their work? A prospective nationwide study in Norway, BMC Med Educ, 5:19. References