Recovery experiences mediate the effect of burnout on life satisfaction among Chinese physicians: a structural equation modeling analysis

Diagnosis and treatment of occupational burnout in the Swiss outpatient sector: A national survey of healthcare professionals' attributes and attitudes

We aimed to describe the attributes and attitudes of Swiss health professionals who treat persons with occupational burnout (POB) in the outpatient sector and explore associated determinants. The study design was descriptive cross-sectional survey, distributed to the 16,883 general practitioners (GP), psychiatrist-psychotherapists (PP), occupational physicians (OP) and psychologists registered in the Swiss Medical Association, the Swiss Federation of Psychologists, and other specialized associations. Using an online questionnaire, we identified professionals who consult and treat POB, their attributes, volume of POB consultations, diagnostics and treatment modalities and outcomes (OB severity, average proportion of POB who returned to work and who relapsed). Multinomial regression analysis was conducted to identify attributes associated with these outcomes. Among 3216 respondents, 2951 reported to consult POB, and 1130 (713 physicians and 410 psychologists) to treat them. POB consultations constitute 5 to 25% of professionals' consultations, which varies across professionals' specialties and specializations and geographic regions. The profile of POB consulted also differs across professionals. Work psychologists reported more often consulting POB at early OB stage, GPs mostly reported having patients with moderate OB, while PPs reported having the largest proportion of patients with severe OB. The treatment practices depend on OB severity but neither latter nor former was associated with the proportion of relapsed POB or POB who return to work. Physicians with waiting time >3 months reported more often having a higher proportion of relapsed patients. Since the study had an exploratory nature using a cross-sectional survey design and aggregated outcomes, these findings should be considered as first descriptive data, motivating further research.

Validation and psychometric evaluation of the French version of the recovery experience questionnaire: internal consistency and validity assessment

Background

Entrepreneurs often experience high levels of stress, anxiety, and burnout due to the demanding nature of their professional activities. Therefore, recovery from work-related stress is a relevant activity for entrepreneurs. The Recovery Experience Questionnaire (REQ) is a widely used 16-item self-reported measure covering four recovery factors: psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery, and control. The present study addresses the validation of a French version of the REQ.

Methods

A total of 1,043 French entrepreneurs from various sectors participated in this study. Internal consistency and correlations were examined to assess the psychometric properties of the French version of the REQ. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to validate the four-factor structure of the REQ, with seven error covariances added to improve model fit.

Results

The French version of the REQ demonstrated good internal consistency (psychological detachment: α = 0.88, relaxation: α = 0.91, mastery: α = 0.90, control: α = 0.91). CFA supported that the four-factor structure was confirmed based on the following data: RMSEA = 0.071 (95% CI [0.066, 0.077]), CFI/TLI = 0.955/0.950, SRMR = 0.050, and χ2 (108) = 593.861, p < 0.001. Significant correlations were found between REQ scores and health indicators such as stress, loneliness, physical health, mental health, and sleep quality. The results confirm that the REQ is a valid and reliable measure for assessing recovery experiences among French entrepreneurs.

Conclusion

We conclude that the REQ is a valid measure and a useful tool for research on entrepreneurs' general health. Additionally, the validated French version of the REQ can be applied to other working populations, making it a versatile instrument for evaluating health and recovery in diverse occupational settings. To support this claim, we conducted the same validation analysis on a sample of 1,231 French agricultural employees, again showing that REQ is a valid and reliable measure for assessing recovery experiences.

Factors Influencing Residents' Specialty Choices and Satisfaction: Impact of Gender, Career Motivation and Life Goals

OBJECTIVE

Resident physicians working in medical specialties play an essential role in the makeup of the healthcare workforce. However, there is little theoretical understanding of how different medical specialties are perceived or how residents' choices are made. Many factors can influence resident physicians' choice of specialty. Previous studies have looked at personality differences within specialties, but were unable to describe the heterogeneity of viewpoints that existed within each specialty. Our objective, was to gather information about factors related to resident's life goals and career motivation as a means of improving residency program design and enhancing the college's advisory capacity.

DESIGN

Our study used a self-report anonymous questionnaire to characterize the relationship between resident physicians' preferences and their choice of specialty.

SETTING

King Saud University & King Saud University Medical City.

PARTICIPANTS

353 residents.

RESULTS

The majority of respondents reported that their current specialty was one of their top three choices. Almost half were satisfied with their residency program, and 24.1% were very satisfied. Gender, specialty, and workload demonstrated significant associations with residency program satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the effects of career motivation and life goals for resident physicians in enhancing their career satisfaction. Ensuring that residents are able to find time for personal needs has important consequences for their perceptions of wellbeing and may be an effective strategy for promoting career satisfaction.

Resilience and Posttraumatic Growth of Patients With Breast Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic in China: The Mediating Effect of Recovery

Purpose

This study aims to examine the mediating role recovery plays in the relationship between resilience and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among breast cancer patients.

Methods

A cross-sectional study design was implemented between January 02, 2021 and April 29, 2021. A total of 789 breast cancer patients from eight hospitals in Liaoning province were selected for participation in this study. These participants completed questionnaires, which included the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, EGO Resilience Scale and the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery. The associated factors of PTG were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression (HMR). The proposed relationships among resilience, recovery, and PTG were checked by structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses.

Results

The average PTG score of breast cancer patients was 53.00 ± 28.30. PTG was positively correlated with both recovery and PTG (a*b = 0.1, BCa95% CI: 0.154 ∼ 0.054).

Conclusion

Breast cancer patients were found to exhibit a moderate degree of PTG. Resilience was positively associated with PTG and recovery mediated the positive effect of resilience on PTG. Resilience might serve as a crucial protective factor that could explain positive growth in life-threatening illnesses through the mediating path of recovery.

Factors associated with symptoms of poor mental health among women factory workers in China's supply chain

OBJECTIVE

Foreign direct investment (FDI) to China has motivated increased labor migration to export processing zones (EPZs). Work environments with high occupational stress, such as production line jobs typical in EPZs, have been associated with adverse mental health symptoms.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey that examined occupational stress and symptoms of poor mental health was implemented among Chinese women factory workers in three electronic factories in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area. Symptoms of mental health measured in the survey were hopelessness, depression, not feeling useful or needed, and trouble concentrating. Crude and adjusted prevalence odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated with logistic regression.

RESULTS

Responses were collected from 696 women factory workers. Participants were aged 18-56 years (mean 28 ± 5.8), 66% of whom were married and 25% of whom were migrants. Nearly 50% of participants reported at least one symptom of poor mental health. After adjusting for covariates associated with each outcome in the bivariate analysis, high job strain was associated with hopelessness (OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.58, 4.56), not feeling useful (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.22, 3.43), and feeling depressed (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.16, 2.72).

CONCLUSION

This study expands on the international body of research on the well-being of women working in the global supply chain and provides evidence on the associations between occupational stressors, migration, and social support on symptoms of poor mental health among women workers. Future research to better understand and improve psychological health and to prevent suicide among workers in China's factories is critical to improve the health of China's labor force.

Burnout Toll on Empathy Would Mediate the Missing Professional Support in the COVID-19 Outbreak

Purpose

The year 2020 was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, massively disruptive at the general population level and for healthcare systems. We aimed to evaluate the psychological distress associated with work-related experiences among medical professionals and supporting staff during the pandemic outbreak.

Patients and Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted between April and May 2020, employing a self-administered on-line questionnaire that included the collection of socio-demographic and professional status information, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and a subscale of the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) for empathy. A total of 364 professionals of the county-coordinated area responded. Descriptive statistics summarized the findings and a mediation model was analyzed, applying the causal step strategy. The specific direct and causal mediation effects were estimated with the bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrap sampling method.

Results

Anxiety, burnout, stress, resilience, and empathy proved to be significantly associated with both the professional category (ie, consultant, specialty doctor, trainee doctor, senior nurse, trainee nurse or other) and the perceived professional support (the nonparametric multivariate permutation test resulted in p=0.048 and p<0.001, respectively). When controlling for the marital and professional status, the female gender had an OR=2.26, 95% CI (1.21; 4.22) toward a high level of empathy compared to males. The causal mediation effect of the perceived lack of professional support on empathy through burnout-depersonalization was highly significant (p<0.001) with an average of 0.0599, 95% CI (0.0238; 0.10), while the direct effect was non-significant (p=0.536) with an average of 0.0295, 95% CI (-0.0774; 0.15).

Conclusion

We highlighted the impact of the lack of professional support on healthcare workers' empathy through burnout-depersonalization in a context of a high workload, time pressure, job stress beyond previous training, and inherently limited organizational support, which are potentially modifiable factors in the mid-term.

Recovery Experience: A Concept for Maintaining Quality of Life and Its Mediating Effect Among Female Nurses in China

Purpose

Nurses are high-risk groups for job burnout, which affect their quality of life (QOL). Recovery experience, a conceptualization of positive psychological resources, can combat the negative impacts of job burnout on health and QOL. The aim of this study was to examine the mediating effect of recovery experience on the relationship between job burnout and QOL among female nurses in China.

Participants and Methods

QOL information was captured from 1068 female nurses from December 2017 to February 2018 in tertiary hospitals in Shenyang, Liaoning Province of China. A structural equation model was employed to examine the mediating effect of recovery experience on the relationship between job burnout and QOL.

Results

Job burnout had a significant impact on both the mental component summary and the physical component summary of a 36-item Short-Form Health Survey. However, mental component summary scores were significantly lower than physical component summary scores in female nurses. Recovery experience played a mediating role in the relationship between job burnout and QOL.

Conclusion

Job burnout could result in a reduction in QOL among Chinese female nurses. Recovery experience, as a mediating factor, could alleviate the impact of job burnout on QOL. Recovery experience should be strengthened to attenuate job burnout and enhance QOL.