TITLE:
Physicians’ Life Satisfaction in Bhutan: A Nationwide Survey
AUTHORS:
Ugyen Dem, Marnina Swartz, Ilona Mirecki, Yoram Barak
KEYWORDS:
Physicians, Satisfaction, Gross National Happiness
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.6 No.1,
January
26,
2016
ABSTRACT: Objectives: Bhutan was the
first country to invest in “gross national happiness”. Health care
professionals usually report higher levels of happiness. In the last decade
many physicians were reportedly dissatisfied with their lives and careers:
“unhappy physicians”. We aimed to assess levels of happiness amongst Bhutanese
physicians. Methods: Bhutanese physicians endorsed the Satisfaction with Life Scale
(SWLS) and a demographic questionnaire. Results: Of 176 physicians in Bhutan,
110 physicians completed the survey: 25.5% women and 74.5% men. Mean age was
36.9 years. Mean SWLS score for all physicians was 23.5 ± 6.9. Conclusions:
Only two thirds (66.5%) of the Bhutanese physicians who have participated in
this study were satisfied with life, which was significantly lower than rate in
the Bhutanese general population or among Israeli Physicians participating in a
similar study.