Alexithymia and professional quality of life in radiation oncology: The moderator effect of the professional profile

P. Franco; M. Di Tella; V. Tesio; A. Gasnier; S. Petit; M. Spalek; J.E. Bibault; L. Dubois; L. Mullaney; K.R. Redalen; C. Chargari; S. Perryck; M.I. Bittner; J. Bertholet; L. Castelli

doi:10.1016/j.radonc.2021.01.033

Alexithymia and professional quality of life in radiation oncology: The moderator effect of the professional profile

P. Franco^*, M. Di Tella, V. Tesio, A. Gasnier, S. Petit, M. Spalek, J.E. Bibault, L. Dubois, L. Mullaney, K.R. Redalen, C. Chargari, S. Perryck, M.I. Bittner, J. Bertholet, L. Castelli

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

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Abstract

Background and purpose: Cancer care can be taxing. Alexithymia, a personality construct characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing feeling and emotions, an externally-oriented thinking style and scarcity of imagination and fantasy, is significantly correlated with higher levels of both secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout and lower levels of compassion satisfaction in medical professionals in radiation oncology. In this study, we aimed to assess the difference in professional quality of life (QoL) and the association with alexithymia in this multidisciplinary field depending on the specific profession (radiation/clinical oncologist, RO; medical physicist, MP; radiation therapist, RTT).Material and methods: The study was conducted via an online questionnaire, receiving 1500 submissions between May and October 2018. Alexithymia was assessed via the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and professional QoL was evaluated using the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQoL) version 5. Comparisons between the RO, RTT, and MP groups were performed by ANOVA or MANOVA, followed by Bonferroni corrected ANOVAs for continuous variables, and Pearson's chi-square test for categorical variables. The effect size was determined by calculating partial eta-squared (eta(2)).Results: Profession had a moderator role on the correlation between alexithymia and STS, with RO being at a higher risk than MP and RTT. Further, the results of this study demonstrate the relevant point prevalence of decreased well-being at work even for professional categories such as MP despite the more technical profile and reduced interaction with patients.Conclusions: This study demonstrates the importance of alexithymia as a factor contributing to decreased professional QoL amongst radiation oncology professionals. Alexithymic ROs are impacted to a higher extent compared to MPs and RTTs by the indirect exposure to patients suffering. It is worth addressing these observations in professional education, aiming to improve QoL for healthcare personnel. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	48-54
Number of pages	7
Journal	Radiotherapy and Oncology
Volume	158
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radonc.2021.01.033
Publication status	Published - 1 May 2021

Keywords

Professional quality of life
Alexithymia
Burnout Medical physicist
Radiation therapist
Radiation oncologist
BURNOUT
SATISFACTION
RELIABILITY
VALIDITY
IMPACT
SCALE

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10.1016/j.radonc.2021.01.033

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Franco, P., Di Tella, M., Tesio, V., Gasnier, A., Petit, S., Spalek, M., Bibault, J. E., Dubois, L., Mullaney, L., Redalen, K. R., Chargari, C., Perryck, S., Bittner, M. I., Bertholet, J., & Castelli, L. (2021). Alexithymia and professional quality of life in radiation oncology: The moderator effect of the professional profile. Radiotherapy and Oncology, 158, 48-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radonc.2021.01.033

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title = "Alexithymia and professional quality of life in radiation oncology: The moderator effect of the professional profile",

abstract = "Background and purpose: Cancer care can be taxing. Alexithymia, a personality construct characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing feeling and emotions, an externally-oriented thinking style and scarcity of imagination and fantasy, is significantly correlated with higher levels of both secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout and lower levels of compassion satisfaction in medical professionals in radiation oncology. In this study, we aimed to assess the difference in professional quality of life (QoL) and the association with alexithymia in this multidisciplinary field depending on the specific profession (radiation/clinical oncologist, RO; medical physicist, MP; radiation therapist, RTT).Material and methods: The study was conducted via an online questionnaire, receiving 1500 submissions between May and October 2018. Alexithymia was assessed via the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and professional QoL was evaluated using the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQoL) version 5. Comparisons between the RO, RTT, and MP groups were performed by ANOVA or MANOVA, followed by Bonferroni corrected ANOVAs for continuous variables, and Pearson's chi-square test for categorical variables. The effect size was determined by calculating partial eta-squared (eta(2)).Results: Profession had a moderator role on the correlation between alexithymia and STS, with RO being at a higher risk than MP and RTT. Further, the results of this study demonstrate the relevant point prevalence of decreased well-being at work even for professional categories such as MP despite the more technical profile and reduced interaction with patients.Conclusions: This study demonstrates the importance of alexithymia as a factor contributing to decreased professional QoL amongst radiation oncology professionals. Alexithymic ROs are impacted to a higher extent compared to MPs and RTTs by the indirect exposure to patients suffering. It is worth addressing these observations in professional education, aiming to improve QoL for healthcare personnel. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.",

keywords = "Professional quality of life, Alexithymia, Burnout Medical physicist, Radiation therapist, Radiation oncologist, BURNOUT, SATISFACTION, RELIABILITY, VALIDITY, IMPACT, SCALE",

author = "P. Franco and {Di Tella}, M. and V. Tesio and A. Gasnier and S. Petit and M. Spalek and J.E. Bibault and L. Dubois and L. Mullaney and K.R. Redalen and C. Chargari and S. Perryck and M.I. Bittner and J. Bertholet and L. Castelli",

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Franco, P, Di Tella, M, Tesio, V, Gasnier, A, Petit, S, Spalek, M, Bibault, JE, Dubois, L, Mullaney, L, Redalen, KR, Chargari, C, Perryck, S, Bittner, MI, Bertholet, J & Castelli, L 2021, 'Alexithymia and professional quality of life in radiation oncology: The moderator effect of the professional profile', Radiotherapy and Oncology, vol. 158, pp. 48-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radonc.2021.01.033

TY - JOUR

T1 - Alexithymia and professional quality of life in radiation oncology: The moderator effect of the professional profile

AU - Franco, P.

AU - Di Tella, M.

AU - Tesio, V.

AU - Gasnier, A.

AU - Petit, S.

AU - Spalek, M.

AU - Bibault, J.E.

AU - Dubois, L.

AU - Mullaney, L.

AU - Redalen, K.R.

AU - Chargari, C.

AU - Perryck, S.

AU - Bittner, M.I.

AU - Bertholet, J.

AU - Castelli, L.

PY - 2021/5/1

Y1 - 2021/5/1

N2 - Background and purpose: Cancer care can be taxing. Alexithymia, a personality construct characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing feeling and emotions, an externally-oriented thinking style and scarcity of imagination and fantasy, is significantly correlated with higher levels of both secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout and lower levels of compassion satisfaction in medical professionals in radiation oncology. In this study, we aimed to assess the difference in professional quality of life (QoL) and the association with alexithymia in this multidisciplinary field depending on the specific profession (radiation/clinical oncologist, RO; medical physicist, MP; radiation therapist, RTT).Material and methods: The study was conducted via an online questionnaire, receiving 1500 submissions between May and October 2018. Alexithymia was assessed via the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and professional QoL was evaluated using the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQoL) version 5. Comparisons between the RO, RTT, and MP groups were performed by ANOVA or MANOVA, followed by Bonferroni corrected ANOVAs for continuous variables, and Pearson's chi-square test for categorical variables. The effect size was determined by calculating partial eta-squared (eta(2)).Results: Profession had a moderator role on the correlation between alexithymia and STS, with RO being at a higher risk than MP and RTT. Further, the results of this study demonstrate the relevant point prevalence of decreased well-being at work even for professional categories such as MP despite the more technical profile and reduced interaction with patients.Conclusions: This study demonstrates the importance of alexithymia as a factor contributing to decreased professional QoL amongst radiation oncology professionals. Alexithymic ROs are impacted to a higher extent compared to MPs and RTTs by the indirect exposure to patients suffering. It is worth addressing these observations in professional education, aiming to improve QoL for healthcare personnel. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

AB - Background and purpose: Cancer care can be taxing. Alexithymia, a personality construct characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing feeling and emotions, an externally-oriented thinking style and scarcity of imagination and fantasy, is significantly correlated with higher levels of both secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout and lower levels of compassion satisfaction in medical professionals in radiation oncology. In this study, we aimed to assess the difference in professional quality of life (QoL) and the association with alexithymia in this multidisciplinary field depending on the specific profession (radiation/clinical oncologist, RO; medical physicist, MP; radiation therapist, RTT).Material and methods: The study was conducted via an online questionnaire, receiving 1500 submissions between May and October 2018. Alexithymia was assessed via the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and professional QoL was evaluated using the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQoL) version 5. Comparisons between the RO, RTT, and MP groups were performed by ANOVA or MANOVA, followed by Bonferroni corrected ANOVAs for continuous variables, and Pearson's chi-square test for categorical variables. The effect size was determined by calculating partial eta-squared (eta(2)).Results: Profession had a moderator role on the correlation between alexithymia and STS, with RO being at a higher risk than MP and RTT. Further, the results of this study demonstrate the relevant point prevalence of decreased well-being at work even for professional categories such as MP despite the more technical profile and reduced interaction with patients.Conclusions: This study demonstrates the importance of alexithymia as a factor contributing to decreased professional QoL amongst radiation oncology professionals. Alexithymic ROs are impacted to a higher extent compared to MPs and RTTs by the indirect exposure to patients suffering. It is worth addressing these observations in professional education, aiming to improve QoL for healthcare personnel. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

KW - Professional quality of life

KW - Alexithymia

KW - Burnout Medical physicist

KW - Radiation therapist

KW - Radiation oncologist

KW - BURNOUT

KW - SATISFACTION

KW - RELIABILITY

KW - VALIDITY

KW - IMPACT

KW - SCALE

U2 - 10.1016/j.radonc.2021.01.033

DO - 10.1016/j.radonc.2021.01.033

M3 - Article

C2 - 33577864

SN - 0167-8140

VL - 158

SP - 48

EP - 54

JO - Radiotherapy and Oncology

JF - Radiotherapy and Oncology

ER -