Abstract
Doctors often work in demanding and stressful environments. Continuous stress affects the thinking styles, which may lead to poor decision-making. This study aimed to examine the perceived stress and thinking styles (rational and experiential) among doctors in Pakistan using a quantitative correlational design. A total of 300 medical doctors aged 22 to 30 years were recruited through purposive sampling. Inclusion and exclusion criteria have been followed strictly. The participants were provided with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Rational-Experiential Inventory (REI-40), and a demographic sheet. Data was analysed using SPSS version 26 with Pearson correlation formulae, regression analysis and independent samples t-tests. The results revealed that perceived stress was negatively correlated with rational thinking (r = -.574, p =.001) and positively correlated with experiential thinking (r =.236, p =.001). The regression analysis showed that perceived stress had predicted 33 per cent of the variance in rational thinking and 5.6 per cent in experiential thinking. The stress levels in female doctors were higher, and experiential thinking was also more prominent than in male doctors. The stress levels of doctors in emergency settings were much higher than those in the OPD/ inpatient departments. When perceived stress is high, it lowers analytical decision-making and enhances intuitive processing in medical doctors. Stress levels and thinking styles depend on gender and the work environment. Knowledge of these associations could be useful in educating stress-management programs and contribute to better clinical judgment in the healthcare environment.