PURPOSE: This study is to explore the relationships among spirituality, death anxiety and burnout level of nurses caring for cancer patients. METHODS: Participants were 210 nurses from a cancer hospital in Seoul. Data were collected from April until June 2012 and analyzed using t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffe's test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The mean score for spirituality was 3.51 out of six. Among sub-categories, the one that scored the highest was the purpose and meaning of life, followed by unifying interconnectedness, inner resources and transcendence. The mean score for death anxiety was 3.22, and the sub-categories in the order of high score were denial of death, awareness of the shortness of time, pure death anxiety and fear of matters related to death. For the burnout, the mean was 4.10. Among sub-categories, highest mark was found with emotional exhaustion, followed by depersonalization and personal accomplishment. The spirituality level was negatively correlated with those of death anxiety and burnout. Death anxiety was positively correlated with burnout levels. Nurses with the higher spirituality level also had a higher level of education and experience of spiritual education, believed in the existence of God. In contrast, death anxiety and burnout levels were higher among those with a lower level of education, atheists, and for those who answered that religion has little influence on life. CONCLUSION: Thus, it is necessary to provide spiritual interventions for nurses who care for cancer patients to develop their spirituality, reduce death anxiety and prevent them from burning out easily.
Anxiety* ; Burnout, Professional ; Burns ; Cancer Care Facilities* ; Denial (Psychology) ; Depersonalization ; Education ; Humans ; Spirituality*

OBJECTIVE: Empathy is important in the education of medical students. Many psychosocial variables are related to empathy. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between empathy and psychosocial factors such as burnout, personality, self-esteem, and resilience. METHODS: The participants completed a set of self-reporting questionnaires, including questions related to socio-demographic characteristics, the Korean edition of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, student version (JSE-S-K), Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey (MBI-GS), NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (R-SES), and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Partial correlation and regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: In male students, there were positive correlations between JSE-S-K and R-SES (r=0.229, p=0.002); conscientiousness of the NEO-FFI (r=0.153, p=0.037) and negative correlations, specifically between JSE-S-K and depersonalization of MBI (r=-0.206, p=0.005). In female students, there was positive correlations between JSE-S-K and personal accomplishment of MBI (r=0.384, p=0.004). In the multiple regression model, the JSE-S-K was affected by conscientiousness of the NEO-FFI (adjusted R² =0.245, β=0.201, p=0.001); depersonalization, personal accomplishment of the MBI-GS (β=-0.188, p=0.001, β=0.143, p=0.017); R-SES (β=0.176, p=0.004); sex (β=0.117, p=0.029). CONCLUSION: The present findings suggested that conscientiousness, depersonalization, personal accomplishment, self-esteem and sex have an influence on empathy. Therefore, these must be considered in medical education and can be helpful to nurture more empathetic doctors.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depersonalization ; Education ; Education, Medical ; Empathy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Psychology ; Students, Medical

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine burnout and job satisfaction among nurses based on Job Demand-Resource Model. METHODS: A survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted with 464 hospital nurses. Analysis of data was done with both SPSS Win 17.0 for descriptive statistics and AMOS 18.0 for the structural equation model. RESULTS: The hypothetical model yielded the following Chi-square=34.13 (p = <.001), df=6, GFI=.98, AGFI=.92, CFI=.94, RMSR=.02, NFI=.93, IFI=.94 and showed good fit indices. Workload had a direct effect on emotional exhaustion (beta = 0.39), whereas supervisor support had direct effects on emotional exhaustion (beta = -0.24), depersonalization (beta = -0.11), and low personal accomplishment (beta = -0.22). Emotional exhaustion (beta = -0.42), depersonalization (beta = -0.11) and low personal accomplishment (beta = -0.36) had significant direct effects on job satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that nurses' workload should be decreased and supervisor's support should be increased in order to retain nurses. Further study with a longitudinal design is necessary.
Attitude of Health Personnel ; Burnout, Professional/psychology ; Depersonalization ; Emotions ; Female ; Humans ; *Job Satisfaction ; Male ; *Models, Theoretical ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Questionnaires ; Workload ; Workplace

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the work related fatigue among prison police and mental medical staffs; to compare the social support between two groups; to develop specific intervention strategies in the future. METHODS: The Chinese Maslach Burnout Inventory (CMBI) and the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) were applied to 100 prison police and 100 mental medical staffs respectively. Their status of work related fatigue and relevant social support were analyzed accordingly. RESULTS: 1) The level of fatigue among prison police was higher than mental medical staffs (P < 0.05); 2) The factor scores of "emotional burnout" and "depersonalization" among prison police were higher than that among mental medical staffs (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups on the "decreased sense of achievement" (P > 0.05); 3) The level of social support in the prison police was higher than that in the mental medical staffs (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Both prison police and mental medical staffs were vulnerable to suffering from fatigue. However, the details and relevant social support between these two groups were different. Active intervention should be taken for different occupation.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Adult ; Burnout, Professional/psychology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depersonalization/psychology* ; Fatigue ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Staff, Hospital/psychology* ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases/psychology* ; Personality Inventory ; Police ; Prisons ; Psychiatric Department, Hospital ; Social Support ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Workforce

We assessed empathy in medical residents, including factors modifying empathy and the relationship between empathy and burnout. Participants (n = 317 residents, response rate = 42%) from 4 university hospitals completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (Health Professional version, Korean edition), and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Participants were classified by medical specialty: “people-oriented specialty” (POS group) or “technology-oriented specialty” (TOS group), with more women in the POS than in the TOS group, χ2 = 14.12, P < 0.001. Being female, married, and having children were factors related to higher empathy (gender, t = -2.129, P = 0.034; marriage, t = -2.078, P = 0.038; children, t = 2.86, P = 0.005). Within specialty group, POS residents showed higher empathy scores in the fourth as compared to the first year, F = 3.166, P = 0.026. Comparing POS and TOS groups by year, fourth year POS residents had significantly higher scores than did fourth year TOS residents, t = 3.349, P = 0.002. There were negative correlations between empathy scores and 2 MBI subscales, emotional exhaustion (EE) and depersonalization (DP). Additionally, first year POS residents had higher DP scores than did first year TOS residents, t = 2.183, P = 0.031. We suggest that factors important for empathy are type of medical specialty, marriage, siblings, and children. Burnout state may be related to decreasing empathy.
Adult ; *Burnout, Professional ; Child ; Child Rearing ; Demography ; Depersonalization ; *Empathy ; Female ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Internship and Residency ; Male ; Marriage ; Physicians/*psychology ; Sex Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires