Occupational Burnout Among Omani Physicians Across Different Stages of Their Career
The occupational psychology literature indicates that physicians are at an elevated risk of burnout and mental distress. Notably, there is a lack of contribution to this field from Arabic and Islamic cultures. This commentary critically analyses the contribution of twelve published papers to the field of occupational psychology, focusing primarily on stress, health, and wellbeing. The overarching aim is to examine the scale and determinants of occupational burnout among Omani physicians across various stages of their careers using quantitative research methods. Following an introduction and contextualisation, the synthesis of published work proceeds in three chapters. Firstly, four published papers report how mental health and psychological distress are conceptualised among Omani healthcare workers and the public. Secondly, five publications address occupational burnout, the overlap with depressive symptoms, and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirdly, three publications focus on burnout moderators among young Omani physicians: personality traits, emotional intelligence, and preparedness for hospital work. The findings revealed that burnout is common among Omani physicians, particularly during residency training. Long working hours and pre-clinical stage predicted burnout in regression analysis. However, the prevalence rates in our setting were lower than those reported in the international literature. Also, the published work highlighted the adverse effects of mental health stigma, prevalent in Oman, on willingness to disclose and seek help for psychological distress. Besides, the results highlighted the relationship between surgical speciality and psychoticism. Also, emotional intelligence correlated with specific demographic, including the female gender, while Omani physicians who graduated from international medical school endorsed a high level of preparedness for clinical work. Considering the methodological and theoretical limitations of the published work, conducting a prospective mixed-methods study is vital to scrutinise the burnout construct and its discriminant validity from clinical depression while paying attention to the cross-cultural factors. Moreover, future work should investigate factors improving work engagement and mitigating burnout in the Omani healthcare setting. The publications make an original contribution to the knowledge by culturally re-contextualizing burnout research and advancing the literature on occupational burnout via analysis of: (i) the magnitude and correlates of burnout in Omani physicians; (ii) moderating variables such as personality traits, emotional intelligence; and (iii) preparedness for clinical work. From a practical aspect, the published work has informed several initiatives and interventions to promote wellness and mitigate burnout at both the individual and organisational levels in Oman.
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