Human connections and their roles in the occupational well-being of healthcare professionals: a study on loneliness and empathy

Human connections are key to the promotion of health and prevention of illness; moreover, illness can cause deterioration of human connections. Healthcare professional–patient relationships are key to ensuring the preservation of adequate human connections. It is important for healthcare professiona...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Soler González, Jorge, San Martín, Montserrat, Delgado Bolton, Roberto, Vivanco, Luis
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2017
País:España
Institución:Universitat de Lleida (UdL)
Repositorio:Repositori Obert UdL
OAI Identifier:oai:repositori.udl.cat:10459.1/60321
Acceso en línea:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01475
http://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/60321
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Empathy
Loneliness
Somatization
Exhaustion
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spelling Human connections and their roles in the occupational well-being of healthcare professionals: a study on loneliness and empathySoler González, JorgeSan Martín, MontserratDelgado Bolton, RobertoVivanco, LuisEmpathyLonelinessSomatizationExhaustionHuman connections are key to the promotion of health and prevention of illness; moreover, illness can cause deterioration of human connections. Healthcare professional–patient relationships are key to ensuring the preservation of adequate human connections. It is important for healthcare professionals to develop their ability to foster satisfactory human connections because: (i) they represent social support for patients; and (ii) they prevent work-related stress. In this study we assessed the relationship between absence (loneliness) and presence (empathy) of human connections with the occupational well-being of healthcare professionals. The Scale of Collateral Effects, which measures somatization, exhaustion, and work alienation; the Jefferson Scale of Empathy; and the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults, were mailed to 628 healthcare professionals working in Spanish public healthcare institutions. The following explanatory variables were used to evaluate work well-being: (a) empathy, as a professional competence; (b) loneliness, age, and family burden, as psychological indicators; and (c) professional experience, work dedication, and salary, as work indicators. Comparison, correlation, and regression analyses were performed to measure the relationships among these variables and occupational well-being. Of 628 surveys mailed, 433 (69% response rate) were returned fully completed. Adequate reliability was confirmed for all instruments. The entire sample was divided into four groups, based on the combined variable, “occupation by sex.” Comparative analyses demonstrated differences among “occupation by sex” groups in collateral effects (p = 0.03) and empathy (p = 0.04), but not loneliness (p = 0.84). Inverse associations between empathy and collateral effects were confirmed for somatization (r = -0.16; p < 0.001), exhaustion (r = -0.14; p = 0.003), and work alienation (r = -0.16; p < 0.001). Furthermore, loneliness was positively associated with collateral effects (r = 0.22; p < 0.001). Neither family burden, nor work dedication to clinics or management activities were associated with the three collateral effects measured. These findings support an important role for empathy in the prevention of work stress in healthcare professionals. They also confirm that loneliness, as a multidimensional and domain specific experience, is detrimental to occupational well-being.This study was supported by the Rioja Health Foundation (FRS), Spain.Frontiers Media2017info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttps://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01475http://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/60321reponame:Repositori Obert UdL instname:Universitat de Lleida (UdL)InglésReproducció del document publicat a https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01475Frontiers in Psychology, 2017, vol. 8, núm. 1475, p.1-10cc-by (c) Soler Gonzalez et al., 2017info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/oai:repositori.udl.cat:10459.1/603212026-06-24T12:42:17Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Human connections and their roles in the occupational well-being of healthcare professionals: a study on loneliness and empathy
title Human connections and their roles in the occupational well-being of healthcare professionals: a study on loneliness and empathy
spellingShingle Human connections and their roles in the occupational well-being of healthcare professionals: a study on loneliness and empathy
Soler González, Jorge
Empathy
Loneliness
Somatization
Exhaustion
title_short Human connections and their roles in the occupational well-being of healthcare professionals: a study on loneliness and empathy
title_full Human connections and their roles in the occupational well-being of healthcare professionals: a study on loneliness and empathy
title_fullStr Human connections and their roles in the occupational well-being of healthcare professionals: a study on loneliness and empathy
title_full_unstemmed Human connections and their roles in the occupational well-being of healthcare professionals: a study on loneliness and empathy
title_sort Human connections and their roles in the occupational well-being of healthcare professionals: a study on loneliness and empathy
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Soler González, Jorge
San Martín, Montserrat
Delgado Bolton, Roberto
Vivanco, Luis
author Soler González, Jorge
author_facet Soler González, Jorge
San Martín, Montserrat
Delgado Bolton, Roberto
Vivanco, Luis
author_role author
author2 San Martín, Montserrat
Delgado Bolton, Roberto
Vivanco, Luis
author2_role author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Empathy
Loneliness
Somatization
Exhaustion
topic Empathy
Loneliness
Somatization
Exhaustion
description Human connections are key to the promotion of health and prevention of illness; moreover, illness can cause deterioration of human connections. Healthcare professional–patient relationships are key to ensuring the preservation of adequate human connections. It is important for healthcare professionals to develop their ability to foster satisfactory human connections because: (i) they represent social support for patients; and (ii) they prevent work-related stress. In this study we assessed the relationship between absence (loneliness) and presence (empathy) of human connections with the occupational well-being of healthcare professionals. The Scale of Collateral Effects, which measures somatization, exhaustion, and work alienation; the Jefferson Scale of Empathy; and the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults, were mailed to 628 healthcare professionals working in Spanish public healthcare institutions. The following explanatory variables were used to evaluate work well-being: (a) empathy, as a professional competence; (b) loneliness, age, and family burden, as psychological indicators; and (c) professional experience, work dedication, and salary, as work indicators. Comparison, correlation, and regression analyses were performed to measure the relationships among these variables and occupational well-being. Of 628 surveys mailed, 433 (69% response rate) were returned fully completed. Adequate reliability was confirmed for all instruments. The entire sample was divided into four groups, based on the combined variable, “occupation by sex.” Comparative analyses demonstrated differences among “occupation by sex” groups in collateral effects (p = 0.03) and empathy (p = 0.04), but not loneliness (p = 0.84). Inverse associations between empathy and collateral effects were confirmed for somatization (r = -0.16; p < 0.001), exhaustion (r = -0.14; p = 0.003), and work alienation (r = -0.16; p < 0.001). Furthermore, loneliness was positively associated with collateral effects (r = 0.22; p < 0.001). Neither family burden, nor work dedication to clinics or management activities were associated with the three collateral effects measured. These findings support an important role for empathy in the prevention of work stress in healthcare professionals. They also confirm that loneliness, as a multidimensional and domain specific experience, is detrimental to occupational well-being.
publishDate 2017
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2017
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01475
http://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/60321
url https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01475
http://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/60321
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Reproducció del document publicat a https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01475
Frontiers in Psychology, 2017, vol. 8, núm. 1475, p.1-10
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv cc-by (c) Soler Gonzalez et al., 2017
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights_invalid_str_mv cc-by (c) Soler Gonzalez et al., 2017
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Frontiers Media
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Frontiers Media
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Repositori Obert UdL
instname:Universitat de Lleida (UdL)
instname_str Universitat de Lleida (UdL)
reponame_str Repositori Obert UdL
collection Repositori Obert UdL
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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