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.

Keywords:

• Palliative care
• perceived stress
• occupational stress
• optimism
• self efficacy
• social support