Burnout, stress, and resilience in pediatric onco-hematology rehabilitation: results from the multicenter Rehabilitation Burnout Study (REBURN)
摘要
Rehabilitation professionals in pediatric onco-hematology face intense emotional and relational demands that heighten vulnerability to burnout. Despite their key role in children’s recovery, this group remains underrepresented in psycho-oncology research.
ObjectiveTo assess burnout, compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, perceived stress, and resilience among rehabilitation professionals in Italian pediatric onco-hematology centers and to explore the organizational meanings underpinning their experiences.
MethodsA mixed-methods multicenter study was conducted across eleven centers in the AIEOP network. Thirty professionals completed validated scales (ProQOL-5, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, Resilience Scale for Adults). Semi-structured interviews were analyzed using Automated Co-occurrence Analysis for Semantic Mapping (ACASM).
ResultsParticipants reported high compassion satisfaction and moderate burnout, with 66.7% scoring high on depersonalization. Compassion fatigue correlated positively with emotional exhaustion (ρ = 0.45, p = 0.013) and perceived stress (ρ = 0.36, p = 0.048). Resilience did not correlate significantly with distress measures. ACASM identified two semantic dimensions—Relationship–Intervention and Users–Institution—indicating that emotional strain stems largely from institutional and relational dynamics rather than patient contact.
ConclusionsRehabilitation professionals experience a complex balance of meaning and fatigue. Organizational support, structured supervision, and participatory dialogue with management are crucial to sustain well-being and preserve care quality.