THE CONTRIBUTION OF LOCUS OF CONTROL AND PREFERRED COPING STRATEGIES TO THE LEVEL OF JOB SATISFACTION AMONG PEDIATRICIANS

Abstract

The article shows the results of an empirical study which purpose was to examine the contribution of locus of control and preferred coping strategies to the level of job satisfaction among pediatricians. Psychodiagnostic tools of the research included standardised methods adapted for the Russian sample: questionnaire “Coping Behavior” (R. Lazarus, adapted by T. L. Kryukova), questionnaire “Level of Subjective Control” (E. F. Bazhin, E. A. Golynkina, A. M. Etkind), questionnaire “Integral Job Satisfaction” (A. V. Batarshev). The empirical study involved 119 pediatricians of various specialties working in municipal children's clinics of the Moscow Department of Health. A literature review showed that locus of control and coping strategies of medical workers may be related to job satisfaction and contribute to the variability of pediatrician’s job satisfaction level. As a result of the study, it was shown that the higher the level of internality and the more pediatricians tend to use adaptive coping strategies aimed at solving the problem, the higher their level of job satisfaction they perform. At the same time, the locus of control mostly contributes to the variability of the job satisfaction level than adaptive or non-adaptive coping strategies.