Sardiwalla N, VandenBerg H, Esterhuyse K G F
Department of Psychology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Cancer Nurs. 2007 Nov-Dec;30(6):488-97. doi: 10.1097/01.NCC.0000300159.67897.c7.
The helping professions have always been associated with high levels of stress and burnout because of the emotional intensity of the relationships with patients. The nature of hospice work can be both rewarding and challenging. Hospice workers encounter a variety of work- and client-related stressors. The work-related stressors they face include organizational stressors and role ambiguity they experience in their work environment. Social factors make up a third set of work-related stressors. Chronic exposure to these stressors may result in burnout if they are not adequately dealt with. Coping strategies can be divided into 3 categories, namely, problem-focused coping strategies, emotionally focused coping strategies, and ineffective coping strategies. The focus of this research is to determine how the stressors experienced by hospice workers in and outside the working environment as well as the coping strategies adopted by them can be used to predict the extent to which they experience burnout. The findings of this study suggest that hospice workers do experience a great deal of burnout, which affects their work performance and general functioning. The burnout is mainly the result of work-related stressors. Recommendations to alleviate this problematic situation are made.
由于与患者关系的情感强度，助人职业一直与高度的压力和职业倦怠相关。临终关怀工作的性质既有益又具有挑战性。临终关怀工作者会遇到各种与工作和客户相关的压力源。他们面临的与工作相关的压力源包括组织压力源以及在工作环境中所经历的角色模糊。社会因素构成了第三类与工作相关的压力源。如果这些压力源得不到充分应对，长期暴露于其中可能会导致职业倦怠。应对策略可分为三类，即问题聚焦应对策略、情绪聚焦应对策略和无效应对策略。本研究的重点是确定临终关怀工作者在工作环境内外所经历的压力源以及他们所采用的应对策略如何能够用于预测他们职业倦怠的程度。本研究的结果表明，临终关怀工作者确实经历了大量的职业倦怠，这影响了他们的工作表现和整体机能。职业倦怠主要是与工作相关的压力源导致的。文中针对缓解这一问题状况提出了建议。
