ORIGINAL PAPER
Personality, spirituality and their relation to well-being in physicians of various specialties
1
Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
2
Medical University of Gdansk,
Gdansk, Poland
Submission date: 2016-06-17
Final revision date: 2016-09-27
Acceptance date: 2016-09-27
Online publication date: 2017-01-31
Publication date: 2017-01-31
Health Psychology Report 2017;5(3):205-218
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
quality of life and well beingresearch methodology, measurement, and statistics in health psychology
ABSTRACT
Background
Based on the available literature, four hypotheses were formulated: the group of physicians differs from the control group in terms of personality traits and the level of spirituality (H1); specific personality traits in physicians predict the level of particular components of spirituality (H2); Spirituality is a predictor of Well-Being (H3); considering the specialties that physicians have as well as Spirituality, they will differentiate this group according to the level of the sense of Well-Being (H4).
Participants and procedure
The aim of the present study was to compare and test the relations between personality and spirituality and between spirituality and well-being in physicians of various specialties (internists, pediatricians, neurologists, surgeons, and emergency medicine specialists) (n = 100, control group n = 93).
Results
Our research confirmed most of the hypotheses, also showing how important it is to differentiate between physicians of different specialties. We found that physicians differ from the control group in terms of Extraversion and Openness, but do not differ according to Spirituality (H1). The most frequent predictor of spirituality proved to be Agreeableness, followed by Openness and Conscientiousness (H2). Contrary to assumptions in the present study (H3), spirituality is not a predictor of Satisfaction With Life in physicians, but according to Basic Emotions it is, including with regard to the specialties physicians have (H4).
Conclusions
Generally, we found a relationship between spirituality and basic emotions as a part of well-being, although the obtained results indicated a different pattern in the groups of neurologists and surgeons.
Based on the available literature, four hypotheses were formulated: the group of physicians differs from the control group in terms of personality traits and the level of spirituality (H1); specific personality traits in physicians predict the level of particular components of spirituality (H2); Spirituality is a predictor of Well-Being (H3); considering the specialties that physicians have as well as Spirituality, they will differentiate this group according to the level of the sense of Well-Being (H4).
Participants and procedure
The aim of the present study was to compare and test the relations between personality and spirituality and between spirituality and well-being in physicians of various specialties (internists, pediatricians, neurologists, surgeons, and emergency medicine specialists) (n = 100, control group n = 93).
Results
Our research confirmed most of the hypotheses, also showing how important it is to differentiate between physicians of different specialties. We found that physicians differ from the control group in terms of Extraversion and Openness, but do not differ according to Spirituality (H1). The most frequent predictor of spirituality proved to be Agreeableness, followed by Openness and Conscientiousness (H2). Contrary to assumptions in the present study (H3), spirituality is not a predictor of Satisfaction With Life in physicians, but according to Basic Emotions it is, including with regard to the specialties physicians have (H4).
Conclusions
Generally, we found a relationship between spirituality and basic emotions as a part of well-being, although the obtained results indicated a different pattern in the groups of neurologists and surgeons.
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