EVALUATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS INVOLVED IN THE CARE OF CANCER PATIENTS

Hajar Zhar*, Yassine Atbib, Daoud Talhik

ABSTRACT

Healthcare professionals involved in the care of cancer patients face an intense mental and emotional burden. This constant exposure to suffering and increased responsibilities generates chronic stress, threatening both their psychological well-being and the safety of patient care. The objective of this thesis is to assess the levels of stress, anxiety, and mental workload experienced by these professionals, while identifying associated factors. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted with 82 healthcare professionals. Data were collected via an online questionnaire. Perceived stress was measured using the PSS-4 scale, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (significance level p < 0.05). The sample profile is characterized by a predominance of young professionals, mostly female, oncologists from the HMIMV hospital in Rabat, who face an intense clinical workload characterized by almost constant direct contact with patients and a high daily activity level of more than 10 patients per day. The assessment highlights a moderate level of stress (65%) and mild depressive symptoms (60%). Work-related fatigue is significant, with 32% of participants reporting having already experienced an episode of burnout. The analysis shows that daily workload significantly influences stress (ρ = 0.42) and depression (ρ = 0.35), while age and seniority in the department do not have a significant impact. However, burnout increases with seniority (ρ = 0.28) and the number of patients (ρ = 0.58), while age does not have a significant impact on work-related fatigue. Regarding stress and work-related fatigue, a significant difference was observed according to specialty: physicians appeared more stressed than pharmacists and nurses, unlike depression, which did not show any interprofessional disparity. Work-related stress in medical oncology is frequent and of moderate intensity. It is primarily correlated with the role performed and organizational constraints such as workload and emotional demands. These results highlight the need to strengthen support systems, improve communication within teams, and promote employee recognition to preserve well-being at work.

Keywords: Psychological well-being; healthcare professionals; cancer patients.