title: Predictors of professional quality of life among physicians in a conflict setting: the role of risk and protective factors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Unlike other places in the western world, Israeli physicians are prone to be exposed to victims of terror and war (soldiers and civilians alike), while in some cases the patients are close friends or relatives. Moreover, in other armed conflict situations (stemming from war or terror), there is a direct threat to the physician's life and his/her family. Among hospital personnel, there is little research concerning the factors associated with aspects of professional quality of life such as burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The current study compared a set of risk and protective factors associated with burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 97 physicians who answered a wide battery of questionnaires tapping to the aforementioned factors that served as predictive variables (age, gender, marital status, PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, dissociative symptoms, life satisfaction, perceived self-efficacy, perceived family support) using multiple regressions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study results showed that higher levels of PTSD symptoms were associated with higher levels of compassion fatigue (β = .594; t = 4.419; p <.001). A higher level of life satisfaction was associated with lower burnout (β = -.436; t = -4.293; p <.001). The same results were found also in lower level of perceived family support (β = -.203; t = -2.533; p <.05), and higher level of perceived self-efficacy was associated with higher burnout (β = .298; t = 2.702; p <.01). Finally, a higher level of life satisfaction was associated with higher compassion satisfaction (β = .493; t = 4.419; p <.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results may suggest that life satisfaction is a predictor associated with burnout and compassion satisfaction. These results are viewed in light of the importance of life satisfaction as a barrier against burnout and its implication for physicians and hospital policy.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Psychology Section, The School of Behavioral Sciences, Tel Aviv-Yaffo Academic College, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Yeela
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Haber
authors.affiliation: Department of Gerontology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Palgi
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel.
authors.forename: Yaira
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hamama-Raz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Israel Gerontological Data Center, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shrira
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel.
authors.forename: Menachem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ben-Ezra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000523:psychology*; D004645:Empathy / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D065840:Protective Factors; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012944:Social Support; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology; D014857:Warfare