The role of stressors and coping strategies in the burnout experienced by hospice workers

Abstract

The helping professions have always been associated with high levels of stress and burnout because of the emotional intensity of the relationships with patients. The nature of hospice work can be both rewarding and challenging. Hospice workers encounter a variety of work- and client-related stressors. The work-related stressors they face include organizational stressors and role ambiguity they experience in their work environment. Social factors make up a third set of work-related stressors. Chronic exposure to these stressors may result in burnout if they are not adequately dealt with. Coping strategies can be divided into 3 categories, namely, problem-focused coping strategies, emotionally focused coping strategies, and ineffective coping strategies. The focus of this research is to determine how the stressors experienced by hospice workers in and outside the working environment as well as the coping strategies adopted by them can be used to predict the extent to which they experience burnout. The findings of this study suggest that hospice workers do experience a great deal of burnout, which affects their work performance and general functioning. The burnout is mainly the result of work-related stressors. Recommendations to alleviate this problematic situation are made.