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Stress‐resilience capacity of pediatric oncologists: A Swedish nationwide and population‐based study of motivation, emotional distress, and overall life satisfaction
Author(s) -
Stenmarker Margaretha,
Palmérus Kerstin,
Márky Ildikó
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
pediatric blood and cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.116
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1545-5017
pISSN - 1545-5009
DOI - 10.1002/pbc.21849
Subject(s) - medicine , distress , coping (psychology) , somatization , population , family medicine , psychological resilience , emotional distress , anxiety , life satisfaction , clinical psychology , psychiatry , psychology , environmental health , psychotherapist
Background Pediatric oncology is an area with heavy emotional distress. In balancing the daily challenges motivational factors might play a key role and could be examined by studying an individual's stress‐resilience capacity. This first nationwide population‐based study of 89 Swedish pediatric oncologists presents aspects of motivation related to experience and number of patients cared. Procedure In 2006, a cross‐sectional mail survey with questionnaires dealing with motivation, coping resources, life satisfaction and emotional distress was performed. The response rate in the target group was 88%. Results The physicians wanted to be well informed (98%) and updated at national (93%) and international (90%) level. Established routines gave them security managing different diagnoses (97%). Optimal pediatric oncology included several colleagues (98%) and a multi‐professional healthcare team (95%). Time pressure was a reality for every participant. Meeting seriously ill children was a way of being aware of essential issues of life (90%). More experienced pediatricians reported higher impact from motivational factors, past overall life satisfaction and a lower degree of somatization. The future overall life satisfaction was higher among physicians meeting more pediatric oncology patients. Between 8% and 45% of the variance in the stress‐resilience capacity of the whole group was explained by low levels of depression, future overall life satisfaction and aspects of motivation. Conclusions Pediatric oncologists continuously meet families in crisis. Knowledge of the physicians' stress‐resilience capacity is expected to be useful in improving the physician–patient relationship, retaining experienced physicians and recruiting new specialists in this medical field. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;52:503–509. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.