Work related stress among gynecologic oncologists

Objective: Up to one third of oncologists experience burnout. The objective was to determine correlates of work related stress in gynecologic oncologists (GOs). Methods: Using an online tool, we surveyed 273 members of the International Gynecologic Cancer (IGCS) Society (60% from North America) to examine demographic, psychological and spiritual correlates of work related stress (WRS) and burnout. Measures of death anxiety (DA) and locus of control (LOC) were also administered. Results: WRS did not correlate with religion, religiosity, race, or gender, but did correlate with DA (r = 0.23, p = 0.0006). WRS was also associated with younger age (p = 0.01) and fewer years out of training (p = 0.0286), higher scores on LOC Chance (r = 0.18, p = 0.007), higher scores on Powerful Other (r = 0.30, p < 0.0001), and lower scores on LOC Internality (r = - 0.30, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Responses from younger and less experienced GOs, correlate with higher WRS scores especially if their LOC is weighted toward chance and powerful others. Responses of GO's with these two characteristics also correlate with higher DA scores and reports of difficulty talking about death.