The association between ambiguity tolerance and psychological well-being among physical therapists engaged in geriatric rehabilitation: A multicentre collaborative cross-sectional study

Objective This study clarifies the association between ambiguity tolerance and psychological well-being in physical therapists engaged in geriatric rehabilitation. Design Multicentre cross-sectional study. Setting: Five facilities in Japan. Methods and Measures A total of 143 physical therapists (response rate: 58.1%) participated in geriatric rehabilitation. The main outcome measures were the multidimensional attitude scale towards ambiguity, professional quality of life scale and quick inventory of depressive symptomatology. Results Hierarchical regression analyses showed associations of need for complexity (β = 0.40) with compassion satisfaction, discomfort with ambiguity (β = 0.30) with compassion fatigue, need for complexity (β = −0.34) and discomfort with ambiguity (β = 0.33) with burnout and discomfort with ambiguity (β = 0.30) with quick inventory of depressive symptomatology ( p < .05). Sub-group analyses revealed that in the group with less than five years’ experience, need for complexity was not associated with burnout, and in men, there were no significant variables for compassion fatigue and quick inventory of depressive symptomatology. Conclusions Among physical therapists in geriatric rehabilitation, discomfort with ambiguity was associated with compassion fatigue, burnout and depressive symptoms, whereas need for complexity was associated with compassion satisfaction. Management and education that reduces discomfort with ambiguity and increases need for complexity may improve physical therapists’ psychological well-being.