[The level of experienced stress and personality traits in health professionals - the Polish study].

Among professions of social services the highest level of stress is connected with health care and saving lives. This work demands making decisions, rapid changes, coordination of unforeseen requirements, moreover abounds in critical situations. One of the important factors affecting an ability of managing stressful situations are personality traits.

AIM: The aim of this study was to verify hypothesis if there is a connection between personality traits (extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism) and level of perceived stress among health care workers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: 180 participants of training (Certificated Partner of the Mental Health Center conducted in Poland) were selected to the analysis: psychologists, paramedics, nureses and doctors. Research was conducted using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-R).

RESULTS: Statistically significant corellation was observed in relation to subjectively experienced tension and results in scale of Psychoticism and Neuroticism (positive relationship). In case of extraversion scale corellation has negative character, but is not statistically important.

CONCLUSIONS: Neuroticism as a state feature of character dominate among helath care workers. Both neuroticism and psychoticism conduce to negative effects of experienced stress.