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

OBJECTIVES: Dentists and dental hygienists undergo high levels of stress due to various factors and the burnout of health-care personnel is very important in the context of personal and social problems. Therefore, empirical research reflecting the social, cultural, and special circumstances of the medical environment is necessary. Here, we explore the causes and outcomes of burnout in dentists and dental hygienists and present ways to prevent burnout. METHODS: A cross-sectional research design was used to measure burnout of 141 dentists and 61 dental hygienists. A structured questionnaire containing the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was administered from May to June, 2018. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0, descriptive statistics, t-test, Mann-Whitney test, Kruskall-Wallis test, and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Each participant's MBI was measured in three aspects (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment). The MBI scores of dentists with regards to their emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment were 24.8%, 34%, and 48.2%, respectively. Alternatively the scores of dental hygienists were 45.9%, 44.3% and 52.5%, respectively, for the same parameters. While the factors affecting the burnout of dentists and dental hygienists were different, it had a negative impact on the professional performance of both. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this study, Korean dentists and dental hygienists experience high levels of work-related burnouts. This can have adverse impacts on their personal health and that of their patients. Therefore, stress management is necessary in dentists and dental hygienists.
Dental Hygienists ; Dentists ; Depersonalization ; Empirical Research ; Humans ; Research Design ; Social Problems

The World Health Organization has included burnout in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases as an occupational phenomenon that involves “factors influencing health status or contact with health services.” Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It manifests as exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced job satisfaction. In the United States, more than 50% of physicians have reported burnout, and their suicide rate is more than twice as high as that of the general population. Burnout in physicians is linked with increased irritability, depression, and medical errors in practice, and decreased job satisfaction, work efficacy, and concentration. Most physicians have pointed to administrative burdens outside of clinical practice as the major cause of burnout. To prevent physician burnout, regular evaluations of stress and self-awareness of one's burnout status are essential. Each physician should make proactive lifestyle changes to reduce job-related stress, such as regular exercise, seeking help, ensuring enough rest, and fostering good interpersonal relationships. Awareness and prevention of burnout are important not only for physicians' mental health, but also for patients' care.
Depersonalization ; Depression ; Foster Home Care ; International Classification of Diseases ; Job Satisfaction ; Life Style ; Medical Errors ; Mental Health ; Suicide ; United States ; World Health Organization

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

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine whether educational stressors and relational stressors are associated with burnout in medical students and to test social support as a moderator between stressors and burnout. METHODS: A total of 263 medical students attending Gyeongsang National University composed the study sample. A standardized questionnaire was used to investigate educational and relational stressors, three dimensions of burnout, and social support of medical students. RESULTS: The findings showed that overall burnout is very high among Korean medical students, with 9.9% totally burned out. Educational and relational stressors were significantly associated with the risk of burnout in medical students after controlling for socio-demographics and health behaviors. Social support moderated educational and relational stressors on personal accomplishment, but did not moderate stressors on emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. CONCLUSION: Burnout level is substantially high among Korean medical students. Educational and relational stressors are significantly associated with burnout risk in Korean medical students. Social support had moderated educational and relational stressors on personal accomplishment. The results suggest that more social support for medical students is needed to buffer stressors on and burnout.
Burns ; Depersonalization ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Students, Medical*

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the correlation of burnout syndrome with specific coping strategies, behaviors, and spiritual attitudes among interns in internal medicine, primary care, and internal medicine/pediatrics residency programs at two institutions. METHODS: Intern physicians completed anonymous voluntary surveys prior to starting the internship in June 2009 and in the middle of the internship in February 2010. Three validated survey instruments were used to explore burnout, coping, and spiritual attitudes: the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the COPE Inventory, and the Hatch Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale. The interns were in programs at the Yale University School of Medicine and a Yale-affiliated community hospital, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. RESULTS: The prevalence of self-identified burnout prior to starting the internship was 1/66 (1.5%) in June 2009, increasing to 10/53 (18.9%) in February 2010 (P<0.0001). From June 2009 to February 2010, the prevalence of high emotional exhaustion increased from 30/66 (45.5%) to 45/53 (84.9%) (P<0.0001), and that of high depersonalization increased from 42/66 (63.6%) to 45/53 (84.9%) (P=0.01). Interns who employed the strategies of acceptance and active coping were less likely to experience emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (P<0.05). Perceptions of high personal accomplishment was 75.5% and was positively correlated with total scores on the Hatch Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale, as well as the internal/fluid and existential/meditative domains of that instrument. Specific behaviors did not impact burnout. CONCLUSION: Burnout increased during the intern year. Acceptance, active coping, and spirituality were correlated with less burnout. Specific behaviors were not correlated with burnout domains.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Anonyms and Pseudonyms ; Connecticut ; Depersonalization ; Hospitals, Community ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Internship and Residency ; Prevalence ; Primary Health Care ; Spirituality ; United States

It has been claimed that the progress of psychiatry has lagged behind that of other medical disciplines over the last few decades. This may suggest the need for innovative thinking and research in psychiatry, which should consider neglected areas as topics of interest in light of the potential progress which might be made in this regard. This review is concerned with one such field of psychiatry: dissociation and dissociative disorders. Dissociation is the ultimate form of human response to chronic developmental stress, because patients with dissociative disorders report the highest frequency of childhood abuse and/or neglect among all psychiatric disorders. The cardinal feature of dissociation is a disruption in one or more mental functions. Dissociative amnesia, depersonalization, derealization, identity confusion, and identity alterations are core phenomena of dissociative psychopathology which constitute a single dimension characterized by a spectrum of severity. While dissociative identity disorder (DID) is the most pervasive condition of all dissociative disorders, partial representations of this spectrum may be diagnosed as dissociative amnesia (with or without fugue), depersonalization disorder, and other specified dissociative disorders such as subthreshold DID, dissociative trance disorder, acute dissociative disorders, and identity disturbances due to exposure to oppression. In addition to constituting disorders in their own right, dissociation may accompany almost every psychiatric disorder and operate as a confounding factor in general psychiatry, including neurobiological and psycho-pharmacological research. While an anti- dissociative drug does not yet exist, appropriate psychotherapy leads to considerable improvement for many patients with dissociative disorders.
Amnesia ; Depersonalization ; Diagnosis ; Dissociative Disorders ; Humans ; Multiple Personality Disorder ; Neurobiology ; Psychopathology ; Psychotherapy ; Thinking

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*

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

BACKGROUND: Burnout is a common problem for interns and residents. It may be related to medical error, but little is known about this relationship. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between burnout and perceived medical errors among interns and residents. METHODS: The study group consisted of interns and residents working in a university hospital in Busan. Data were provided by 86 (58.5%) of 147 interns and residents. They completed a questionnaire including self-assessment of medical errors, a linear analog self-assessment of overall quality of life (QOL), fatigue, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and a validated depression screening tool. RESULTS: According to univariate logistic regression analyses, there was an association between perceived medical errors and fatigue (odds ratio [OR], 1.37 per unit increase; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12 to 1.69; P < 0.003) and ESS scores (OR, 1.13 per unit increase; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.23; P < 0.009). Perceived medical errors were also associated with burnout (ORs per 1-unit change; emotional exhaustion OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.13; P < 0.005; depersonalization OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.21; P < 0.013), a negative depression screen (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.11 to 0.76; P < 0.013), and overall QOL (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.70 to 0.98; P < 0.033). In multivariate logistic regression analyses, an association was identified between perceived medical errors and emotional exhaustion (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.11; P < 0.046) when adjusted for ESS, and depersonalization (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.19; P < 0.04) when adjusted for fatigue. CONCLUSION: Higher levels of burnout among interns and residents were associated with perceived medical errors.
Depersonalization ; Depression ; Fatigue ; Logistic Models ; Mass Screening ; Medical Errors ; Quality of Life ; Self-Assessment