Abstract
Currently, the characteristics of the emergence and course of burnout syndrome among medical staff working with cancer children are not studied enough. It seems relevant to consider the psychological features of oncological medical specialists as an important personal factor, a protector of burnout syndrome. The features (empathetic tendencies, personal and situational anxiety, neurotization, self-actualization) in health care professionals working with cancer children were investigated. The object of the study was medical workers specializing in the field of oncology (doctors: radiologists, chemotherapists, hematologists, coloproctologists, hepatologists, pediatric oncologists, transfusiologists, etc.) with various experience. Research base was R. M. Gorbacheva Research Institute of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Transplantology, St. Petersburg. The study revealed the interconnection between the level of emotional burnout syndrome and levels of empathy tendencies, neurotization and anxiety of medical professionals: health workers with a high degree of empathy have less predisposition to burnout. The interconnection between the expression of emotional burnout syndrome and the self-actualization of personality of medical professionals was also revealed: the lower level of self-actualization the doctors have, the more inklined to emotional burnout they are.
Highlights
There has been an increase of mortality because of cancer in Russia
This serious illness leads to an increase of psychological problems both of the patients themselves and of the medical staff treating these patients
In the field of work with cancer patients, the processes of professional and emotional burnout are considered to be more aggravated because of the constant necessity for interpersonal interaction with patients and their relatives; continuous observing of the suffering of children [2,3,4]
Summary
There has been an increase of mortality because of cancer in Russia. This serious illness leads to an increase of psychological problems both of the patients themselves and of the medical staff treating these patients. Negative emotions gradually accumulate and manifest themselves in unwillingness to work, helplessness, depression, psychosomatic diseases [1]. In Russia, new cases of cancer both of adults and children are recorded annually. In the field of work with cancer patients, the processes of professional and emotional burnout are considered to be more aggravated because of the constant necessity for interpersonal interaction with patients and their relatives; continuous observing of the suffering of children [2,3,4]. Bodagova (2016), it was found out that 67% doctors of various specialties faced burnout [5,6,7]
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