title: A preliminary study into stress in palliative care: optimism, self-efficacy and social support.
abstract: Caring for the terminally ill is a demanding, but rewarding area of health care. Stressors unique to this working environment--dealing with patient death rather than cure, and supporting entire family units, for example--put caregivers at risk from stress related illness. This study investigated the buffering effects of optimism, self-efficacy and social support against two measures of stress within the palliative setting. Comparisons were made between volunteer (n = 18) and professional (n = 18) caregivers across three caregiving settings. Data were collected retrospectively about personal control variables; use of and satisfaction with, social support; and, perceived general and occupational specific stress levels. Differences in reported stress levels were found both between settings (NHS, hospice and community-based) and between caregiver type (salary status and occupational category). Optimism was more strongly and consistently associated with low levels of perceived stress than was self-efficacy. Satisfaction with social support was highest among paid workers, and in terms of buffering stress in the whole sample, appeared mediated by optimism. Worksite interventions targeting caregiver self-efficacy and optimism are recommended as a potential source of stress management within this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, North Wales Clinical School, Cardiff University, Wrexham, UK. HulbertNJ@Cardiff.ac.uk
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Hulbert
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Morrison
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011584:Psychology; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires