Abstract:
Occupational stress among the government doctors in Sri Lanka, especially in
Colombo District, has been increasingly becoming a problem. Though the problem is
topical and justified, there is lack of empirical research in the context of health care
sector in Sri Lanka. This study aimed at investigating the major causes of
occupational stress namely, the role of job roles and responsibilities, psychosocial
factors, family commitment, and organisational culture. The study adopts a
quantitative research method by incorporating the convenience sampling through a
structured questionnaire comprising 220 government physicians in Colombo District.
Analysis of data was performed with the help of the SPSS which used the analytical
tools- descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, ANOVA and multiple regression.
The findings showed that the four independent variables are statistically significant
related to occupational stress. Among them, job responsibilities, duties and
psychosocial factors were found to have the greatest influence, followed by
organisational culture and family obligation, which were found significantly
influential particularly in terms of work-life balance and emotional well-being. The
research is relevant in that there is minimal research on the topic of occupational
stress in South Asian healthcare, especially in the government machinery. These
results demonstrate that institutional reforms, including efficient allocation of
workload, better psychosocial support systems, and an inclusive and supportive
organisational culture, are important. To provide more statistical support, the variance
explained (R2
) could be mentioned in future studies. The research has a practical
implication on the health policy makers and government administrators in Sri Lanka
to improve the health and performance of the government doctors in the country
through evidence-based stress minimisation interventions. The following research
may include additional districts or the comparison of the private and government
doctors.
