Impact of work–life interference on burnout and job discontent: A one-year follow-up study of physicians in Sweden

OBJECTIVES: In recent years, increased physician workload has led to higher levels of interference between work and private life with increasing stress and job discontent. The objective of this paper was to study if the experience of work–life interference (WLI) is associated with a high risk of burnout and discontent with work (turnover intention and job dissatisfaction) the following year among physicians in Sweden. METHODS: The study applied data for 2021 and 2022 from the Longitudinal Occupational Health survey for Health Care professionals in Sweden study. The data comprised a representative sample of physicians (N=1575) working in Sweden. Descriptive analyses included frequencies and estimates of prevalence with Chi-square and McNemar tests. Analyses of association were assessed through logistic regression reporting odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) adjusting for demographics and work-related factors. RESULTS: Higher levels of WLI in 2021 were associated with 1.53 (95% CI 1.05–2.25) times higher odds of reporting a high risk of burnout, 2.06 (95% CI 1.68–2.54) times higher odds of reporting job dissatisfaction, and 1.72 (95% CI 1.47–2.00) times higher odds of reporting turnover intention in 2022. CONCLUSIONS: Experiencing WLI negatively affects mental well-being and work satisfaction among physicians in Sweden. This could ultimately impact the quality of care and necessitates further research to clarify the role of WLI among healthcare workers in Sweden.