Well-being of physicians: protective factors from work stress in a sample of Italian oncologists

Background: Recently a great deal of attention has been focused on doctors' work related stress and the possibility of improving their quality of life. Several studies report that healthcare professionals, especially oncologists, are overloaded physically, emotionally and psychologically. They develop a confidential relationship with their patients through close contact and interpersonal communication. Previous studies in the field of healthcare have shown that communication skills training improves the sense of satisfaction and well-being of physicians and patients. Aims: Our research investigates the relationship between Work Stress, Work Engagement and Personal Well-being in a sample of doctors working in Italian hospitals. Specifically, the study investigates some protective factors involved in this relationship. Materials and Methods: The research included 176 physicians working in Italian healthcare units. Doctors filled out self-report questionnaires to evaluate Work Stress and Coping Strategies (Health Professions Stress and Coping Scale), Personal Well-being (General Health Questionnaire), Work Engagement (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale) and two purpose-built scales to measure the degree of perceived Organizational Support and the level of specific training on social and relational skills. Result: The data seem to confirm our hypothesis. Positive and significant correlations were found between variables observed. Moreover, physicians who obtained higher levels of specific training on social and relational skills reported lower levels of stress. Finally, we examined the differences between oncologists and other specialists: oncologists experienced greater stress (particularly in problematic relationships with patients) than other physicians in terms of maladaptive coping (such as emotional distress), and they lack additional training. Conclusions: The results presented seem to confirm that the well-being of physicians is mediated by typical aspects of the profession, such as social skills in relationships with patients. The possible implication of research will also be discussed: the training needs of physicians and planned learning opportunities.