Impacts of gender disparities in mental health and quality of life: A cross-sectional study of Brazilian physicians.

Brazilian physicians reported lower overall quality of life compared to the general Brazilian population and international physician cohorts.

• Weighted WHOQOL-BREF scores post-stratification were 62.2 in the physical domain, 55.5 in the psychological domain, 56.5 in the social domain, and 63.6 in the environment domain.
• Global quality of life score (defined as the mean of 0-100 four domains score) was 59.5.
• Particular vulnerability was identified in psychological well-being.
• The study used a nationwide, cross-sectional, web-based survey of 2,005 licensed physicians in Brazil conducted between July and August 2024.

Women physicians had significantly higher prevalence of mental disorders than men.

• Overall mental disorder prevalence was 46.8% in women versus 33.5% in men.
• Depression prevalence was 25.3% in women versus 17.7% in men.
• Anxiety prevalence was 39.9% in women versus 25.1% in men.
• The sample consisted of 2,005 physicians, with 56.1% women.
• Post-stratification weighting aligned the sample with the 2025 Brazilian Medical Census across sex and region.

Mental disorders were strongly associated with lower quality of life scores across all domains.

• Mental disorders were associated with approximately -9 to -10 points in psychological and overall QoL scores (p < 0.001, large effect sizes).
• Multivariable models identified mental disorder as the dominant predictor of psychological and QoL perception outcomes.
• The association was significant across all four WHOQOL-BREF domains.
• Weighted least squares regression models were used to estimate unique contributions of sex, age, region, career stage, and mental disorders to QoL domains.

Quality of life displayed a U-shaped trajectory across the physician life course.

• Lower QoL scores were observed in early and mid-career physicians.
• Recovery in QoL scores was observed at older ages.
• Age modestly contributed to physical and environment domains in multivariable models.
• Career stage was included as a predictor in weighted least squares regression models.

Sex, region, and age each contributed differently to specific quality of life domains.

• Sex explained variance specifically in the social relations domain.
• Region and age modestly contributed to physical and environment domains.
• Despite higher psychiatric morbidity, women experienced higher social relations scores.
• Multivariable models assessed unique contributions of sex, age, region, career stage, and mental disorders.

Structural inequalities, workload, and dissatisfaction with the health system were identified as key stressors for Brazilian physicians.

• The survey assessed lifestyle, burnout, depression, and anxiety in addition to QoL.
• Brazil has undergone rapid feminisation of the medical workforce, which has not eliminated gender and regional disparities.
• The authors note that nationwide evidence on physicians' QoL had previously been scarce.
• Recommended interventions include structural reforms, gender equity policies, and lifestyle-promoting strategies.