Work stress and gender-dependent coping strategies in anesthesiologists at a university hospital.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate stressors and coping strategies for stress in a sample of anesthesiologists working at a university hospital. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study via survey instrument. SETTING: University department of anesthesiology and critical care at a 1305-bed hospital. PARTICIPANTS: 135 anesthesia specialists and specialist trainees of anesthesia. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 135 self-reporting questionnaires used to assess sociodemographic data, workload, task demands, stress-coping strategies, physical health, emotional well-being, and working conditions, were distributed. Of these, 89 questionnaires were completed and returned, for a response rate of 65.9%: 33 (37.1%) female anesthesiologists and 56 (62.9%) male anesthesiologists. The burden of task-related stressors and of communication possibilities was assessed differently by male and female anesthesiologists. Female anesthesiologists more frequently reported higher concentration demands (P = 0.013) and limited possibilities to control work (P = 0.009) than did their male colleagues. Work at intensive care units (P = 0.001) was particularly demanding and burdensome for female anesthesiologists. Combined evaluation of various stress-coping strategies did not show significant differences between the genders. Generally, anesthesiologists had more confidence in their own personal capabilities and resources and in their social-particularly family-support outside the workplace, than in their social support from colleagues and superiors. CONCLUSIONS: Task-related stressors and communication possibilities differed between male and female anesthesiologists in our institution. Female anesthesiologists felt that they had less control over their work.

Psychotherapeutic treatment of morbidly obese patients after gastric banding.

BACKGROUND: Surgery is the most effective therapeutic option for weight reduction in carefully selected patients with morbid obesity resistant to conventional treatment. However, surgical treatment is not the solution but an important precondition for successful management of morbid obesity. METHODS: All patients undergo a psychiatric examination before laparoscopic gastric banding. At the first examination we inform all patients about the various forms of psychological support offered before and especially after gastric banding. RESULTS: A majority of the obese individuals are interested in psychological support postoperatively, but only a minority of this patient group (about one-quarter) ultimately enlists psychological support on a regular or irregular basis. Some specific psychological topics have proved to be particularly important such as change of self-esteem as a consequence of weight loss, problems in adopting new eating behaviors and the risk for developing a new eating disordered behavior, and problems involving adequate problem-solving. CONCLUSIONS: In many cases, some form of psychological support is necessary in order to cope with the new postoperative demands and to find more adequate coping strategies for underlying psychological, psychosocial and environmental problems. The different kinds of psychological support and psychotherapeutic treatment available at Innsbruck University Hospital for obese patients after gastric banding are discussed here.