Stress, resilience, and moral distress among health care providers in oncology during the Covid-19 pandemic

Bibliographic Data

ID22087393
AuthorsWaleed Alrjoub (0000-0001-6098-9891, King Hussein Cancer Center), Ghadeer Alarjeh (King Hussein Cancer Center), Khawlah Ammar (0000-0003-0616-3110, King Hussein Cancer Center), Abedalrahman Shamieh (University of Jordan), R Harding (0000-0001-9653-8689, Cicely Saunders International), Christopher Booth, Christopher M Booth (0000-0002-1505-0575, Queen's University), R Sullivan (0000-0002-6435-1825, King's College London), Majeda A Al-Ruzzieh (0000-0003-1662-0303, King Hussein Cancer Center), Majeda Al-ruzzieh, Asem Mansour (0000-0003-3443-5873, King Hussein Cancer Center), Omar Shamieh (0000-0002-3635-8624, University of Jordan, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume11
Pages1288483-1288483
Publication date2023-12-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2023.1288483
PMID38192554
OpenAlexW4389950946
LanguageEN
References cited63

Background The coronavirus pandemic has potential implications for stress levels and resilience among oncology healthcare professionals (HCPs). This study aims to assess perceived stress, resilience, and moral distress levels among oncology HCPs in Jordan during the pandemic and identify associated risk factors. Methods An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among oncology HCPs in Jordan using three validated tools: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RSIC), and Moral Distress Thermometer (MDT). Seven items were used to assess sources of stress. Results A total of 965 participants enrolled with a 74% response rate. The participants’ ages ranged from 20 to 74 (mean = 32.74, SD = 5.197), with 79.1% males, 45.1% were physicians, 32.6% were public hospital workers, 57.1% were married, and 56.6% had children below 18 years. Findings indicated moderate perceived stress (Mean = 15.87, SD = 5.861), low resilience (Mean = 29.18, SD = 5.197), and high moral distress (Mean = 4.72, SD = 2.564). Females, unmarried individuals, and younger age groups exhibited higher PSS ( p = 0.009, p < 0.001, and P<0.001) and lower resilience ( p = 0.024, p = 0.034, and p = 0.001). Not having children below 18 years correlated with higher perceived stress ( P < 0.001). In linear regression analysis, age and gender emerged as significant predictors of both perceived stress and resilience. Female participants reported stress related to the risk of contracting COVID-19 ( p = 0.001), transmitting it to others ( p = 0.017), social isolation ( P < 0.001), and having children at home due to school closures ( p = 0.000). A cohort of 239 participants repeated the survey within a two-month interval, revealed a statistically significant decrease in the CD-RISC scores ( p < 0.001). Conclusion Oncology HCPs in Jordan experienced moderate stress, high moral distress, and poor resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. These factors may negatively affect the quality of oncology care. Urgent measures are necessary to support HCPs in coping with unforeseen circumstances in the future

Anxiety · Disease · Distress · Health care · Pandemic · Perceived Stress Scale · Psychiatry · Psychological resilience · Clinical Psychology · COVID-19 and healthcare impacts · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Demography · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Internal Medicine

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