Mental and physical well-being in oncology-hematology-unit personnel

Stress, resilience, and moral distress among health care providers in oncology during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

The coronavirus pandemic has potential implications for stress levels and resilience among oncology healthcare professionals (HCPs). This study aims to assess perceived stress, resilience, and moral distress levels among oncology HCPs in Jordan during the pandemic and identify associated risk factors.

Methods

An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among oncology HCPs in Jordan using three validated tools: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RSIC), and Moral Distress Thermometer (MDT). Seven items were used to assess sources of stress.

Results

A total of 965 participants enrolled with a 74% response rate. The participants' ages ranged from 20 to 74 (mean = 32.74, SD = 5.197), with 79.1% males, 45.1% were physicians, 32.6% were public hospital workers, 57.1% were married, and 56.6% had children below 18 years. Findings indicated moderate perceived stress (Mean = 15.87, SD = 5.861), low resilience (Mean = 29.18, SD = 5.197), and high moral distress (Mean = 4.72, SD = 2.564). Females, unmarried individuals, and younger age groups exhibited higher PSS (p = 0.009, p < 0.001, and P<0.001) and lower resilience (p = 0.024, p = 0.034, and p = 0.001). Not having children below 18 years correlated with higher perceived stress (P < 0.001). In linear regression analysis, age and gender emerged as significant predictors of both perceived stress and resilience. Female participants reported stress related to the risk of contracting COVID-19 (p = 0.001), transmitting it to others (p = 0.017), social isolation (P < 0.001), and having children at home due to school closures (p = 0.000). A cohort of 239 participants repeated the survey within a two-month interval, revealed a statistically significant decrease in the CD-RISC scores (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Oncology HCPs in Jordan experienced moderate stress, high moral distress, and poor resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. These factors may negatively affect the quality of oncology care. Urgent measures are necessary to support HCPs in coping with unforeseen circumstances in the future.

What is well-being? A scoping review of the conceptual and operational definitions of occupational well-being

Well-being is a multifaceted construct that is used across disciplines to portray a state of wellness, health, and happiness. While aspects of well-being seem universal, how it is depicted in the literature has substantial variation. The aim of this scoping review was to identify conceptual and operational definitions of well-being within the field of occupational health. Broad search terms were used related to well-being and scale/assessment. Inclusion criteria were (1) peer-reviewed articles, (2) published in English, (3) included a measure of well-being in the methods and results section of the article, and (4) empirical paper. The searches resulted in 4394 articles, 3733 articles were excluded by reading the abstract, 661 articles received a full review, and 273 articles were excluded after a full review, leaving 388 articles that met our inclusion criteria and were used to extract well-being assessment information. Many studies did not define well-being or link their conceptual definition to the operational assessment tool being used. There were 158 assessments of well-being represented across studies. Results highlight the lack of a consistent definitions of well-being and standardized measurements.

The impact of resilience on anxiety and depression among grass-roots civil servants in China

Background

The grass-roots civil servants are the final implementers and executors of a series of government policies and the fundamental force for social stability and harmonious development. However, the mental health problems of grass-roots civil servants have not got full attention. This study aimed to assess the impact of resilience on anxiety and depression among grass-roots civil servants in China.

Method

From Oct to Dec 2019, 302 civil servants completed a series of questionnaires. The Civil Servants Stress Scale (CSSS) was used to assess the stress of civil servants. The Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used to evaluate the depression and anxiety of participants, respectively. The resilience of civil servants evaluates by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RSCI). We conducted the moderating and mediating analysis on the impact of resilience on depression and anxiety in grass-roots civil servants.

Results

There were significant differences in gender, education, position, relationship with coworkers, physical exercise, and monthly income for stress in grass-roots civil servants (P < 0.05). Resilience can negatively regulate the stress of grass-roots civil servants, and an effective mediator and moderator in the relationship between stress and anxiety and depression and the mediating effect ratios of 7.77 and 22.79%.

Conclusion

Resilience has moderating and mediating effects on the relationship between stress and depression, and anxiety. The negative effects of stress on depression and anxiety of grass-roots civil servants can be buffered by resilience as a dynamic moderator directly and indirectly. These findings contribute to society and government better understand the mental health status of grass-roots civil servants and provide references and guidance for the formulation of corresponding management and prevention measures.

The influence of work context and organizational well-being on psychophysical health of healthcare providers

Background:

A high level of organizational well-being improves employee performance and influences the physical and mental health of healthcare providers and students.

Objective:

This study investigates the relationship between the work context, organizational well-being, and the psychophysical health of healthcare providers.

Methods:

A multicentre cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on a sample of healthcare providers (physicians and nurses) and healthcare students (medical students and nursing students). A self-report questionnaire was administered between September and November 2016.

Results:

Of the 300 questionnaires administered, 201 (67%) were correctly completed. Overall, both the physical and mental health of the healthcare providers and students are explained by the variables of the organizational context: organizational well-being and socio-demographic/work characteristics. In particular, the results show a dependence on gender and age. Furthermore, decision latitude had a positive effect on physical health (b=.134) while job demands had a negative effect (b=-.160) explaining 21% of the PCS of the healthcare providers and students (R2=.209). Mental health improved via the satisfaction (b=.345), and positivity (b=.222) of healthcare professionals and students of these disciplines.

Discussion:

The results are significant because they directly impact the quality of care provided as well as patient safety.

Symptoms in Health Care Workers during the COVID-19 Epidemic. A Cross-Sectional Survey

In March–April 2020, the Corona Virus Disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic suddenly hit Italian healthcare facilities and in some of them many staff members became infected. In this work 595 health care workers from a public company were tested for Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (82 positive) and asked to complete a questionnaire on early COVID-19 symptoms. Respiratory symptoms were present in 56.1% of cases. Anosmia and dysgeusia in COVID-19 cases were found to have an odds ratio (OR) = 100.7 (95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 26.5–382.6) and an OR = 51.8 (95%CI 16.6–161.9), respectively. About one in three of the cases (29.3%) never manifested symptoms. Anxiety was reported by 16.6% of COVID-19 cases and depression by 20.3%, with a significant increase in the estimated risk (OR = 4.3; 95%CI = 2.4–7.4 for anxiety, OR = 3.5; 95%CI = 2.0–6.0 for depression). In cases, sleep was a significant moderating factor in the relationship between occupational stress, or organizational justice, and anxiety. The early diagnosis of COVID-19 in health care workers, must consider, in addition to respiratory disorders and fever, anosmia, dysgeusia, exhaustion, myalgias and enteric disorders. The frequency of anxiety and depression disorders in the population examined was not higher than that commonly recorded in the same company during periodic checks in the years preceding the epidemic. In COVID-19 cases there was a significant risk of anxiety, especially in those who had low sleep quality. Mental health support and improvement interventions must mainly concern workers with positive tests and should also tend to improve sleep quality.

Work-related stress among health professionals in Swiss acute care and rehabilitation hospitals-A cross-sectional study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to identify significant work stressors associated with stress symptoms, job satisfaction, intention to leave and health-related outcomes among health professionals.

BACKGROUND

The workforce shortage of health professionals is a current concern, and a reduction of work-related stress is thus essential for retaining health professionals. Studies on the extent of work-related stress in different health professions are limited.

METHODS

The research was conducted with a cross-sectional study encompassing 26 randomly selected acute care and rehabilitation hospitals. The sample consisted of 3,398 health professionals. The study was undertaken in accordance with the STROBE checklist for observational studies.

RESULTS

Work-private life conflicts were significantly associated with health professionals' stress symptoms, job satisfaction, intention to leave the organisation and profession, their general health status, burnout symptoms and quality of sleep. Also, opportunities for development and the behaviour of the direct line manager (e.g. quality of leadership, unfair behaviour, rewards given) along with various profession-specific stressors were the important predictors revealed.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows the high relevance of preventing and reducing work-private life conflicts, enhancing leadership qualities as well as opportunities for development among health professionals working in acute care and rehabilitation hospitals. Also, differences between health professions should be taken into consideration in developing strategies for reducing stress at work.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The results of this study are particularly relevant for health professional leaders and reveal the urgent need in hospital practice for effective strategies to improve health professionals' work-private life balance, opportunities for development and quality of leadership.

Burnout Syndrome amongst Medical Students in Cameroon: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Determinants in Preclinical and Clinical Students

Background

Due to a series of recognised psychological stressors in the traditional path of medical studies, medical students are prone to experience burnout syndrome.

Objective

This study aimed to determine the predictors of burnout syndrome amongst medical students in Cameroon.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study which recruited 413 medical students consecutively after sampling three of the five medical schools in Cameroon using a random sequence generator. Data were collected via a printed self-administered questionnaire from consenting participants assessing burnout syndrome using the OLdenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI). Data was analysed using Stata version 12 and p value significance was set at 95%. Multivariable linear regression was used to identify independent determinants of burnout syndrome.

Results

An alpha Cronbach coefficient of 0.74 showed that the OLBI assessed the same underlying construct of burnout syndrome in this population. The results of the multiple linear regression showed that five predictors explained 35.0% of the variance (R²= 35.0, F(9, 184) = 10.99, p <0.001). It was found that marital status significantly predicted burnout (Beta: 4.82, p value: 0.024), as well as relationship difficulties (Beta: 3.17, p value <0.001), cumulative GPA (Beta: -2.15, p value: 0.006), regretting the choice of medical studies (Beta: 7.85, p value <0.001), and recreational drug use (Beta: 6.99, p value: 0.005).

Conclusion

Early detection of burnout in medical students in Cameroon could be done by identifying and addressing the potential determinants. The institution of preventive measures against burnout syndrome in medical schools in Cameroon is warranted to decrease the morbidity associated with the condition.

Association between Work Related Stress and Health Related Quality of Life: The Impact of Socio-Demographic Variables. A Cross Sectional Study in a Region of Central Italy

The aim of this work is investigate relationship between health-related quality of life and work-related stress and the impact of gender, education level, and age on this relationship. A cross-sectional study was conducted among workers of various setting in Rome and Frosinone. Work-related stress was measured with a demand–control questionnaire and health-related functioning by SF (short form)-12 health survey. There were 611 participants. Men reported high mental composite summary (MCS) and physical composite summary (PCS). In multivariate analysis age, gender (p < 0.001) and job demand (0.045) predicted low PCS. Low MCS predicted poor PCS. Job demand and educational level resulted negatively associated with MCS. In an analysis stratified for age, gender, and educational level, gender and age resulted effect modifier for MCS, gender and education level for PCS. In women increase of decision latitude predict (p = 0.001) an increase in MCS; a low job demand predict high MCS in male (p ≤ 0.001). In younger workers, a lower level of job demand predicted high MCS (<0.001). For PCS, gender and education level resulted effect modifier. In women, high decision latitude predicted higher PCS (p = 0.001) and lower level of job demand results in higher PCS (p ≤ 0.001). Higher educational level resulted predictor of low PCS. Management of risk about work-related stress should consider socio-demographic factors.