Risk for Workaholism among Working Physicians of Zagazig University Hospitals: A Massage for Achieving Productive Work and Balanced Life

Background: Workaholics are characterized by an intense desire to work, even at the expense of other aspects of their lives (such as their health, their personal relationships, and their leisure time). The term work-lifeimbalance is an occupational stressor based on depleted resources of energy, time and feelings about work or personal life. By time, researchers increasingly agree on making workaholism a subtype of work addiction. Concern that one's job would turn one into a workaholic is common among physicians. Doctors need to take notice of this trend. The objective of our study is to measure prevalence of workaholism and its risk among physicians of Zagazig University Hospitals, to prioritize workaholism predisposing factors and to assess its implications on their lives and mental health.
Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was executed among working physicians of Zagazig University Hospitals, where 262 physicians were recruited. Sociodemographic and occupational characteristics were recorded, in addition to validated questionnaires for assessment of workaholic character among the participants through Work Addiction Risk Test (WART) and part from Work Assessment Questionnaire (WAQ) inquiring about unpleasantness, Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ), Quality of Life (QoL) Questionnaire, and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ).
Results: About 14.5% of physicians are workaholics, 30.2% are at risk and 55.3% are non-workaholics. Most workaholic physicians are suffering from unpleasantness, having lower quality of life and general health parameters and significant decrease in psychological parameters.
Conclusion: a significant association between workaholism and bad general health condition, poor mental health and quality of life are common among physicians, which needs better handling of their work scheduleand thinking about their work attitude.