Coping with the Psychosocial Stresses of Oncology Care

Coping with the psychosocial stresses of oncology care is crucial to the survival of the committed oncology professional. A conceptual model is presented that maps out the process of coping with these stresses. The model is taken from crisis theory and is initially presented in a form that describes patients coping with the crisis of physical illness. A translation of the model describes the process involved in coping with the psychosocial stresses of treating physical illness. Special emphasis is placed on the adaptive tasks that confront oncology professionals and the coping skills they must use to meet the demands of these adaptive tasks. The tasks are framed in an interpersonal context with the relationships among the self, patient, family members, and other staff as the prinicpal elements. The author differentiates between stress and burnout in this interpersonal arena and describes an approach to coping. Social support and the development of support groups are defined as the most powerful tools for coping with the ongoing psychosocial stresses of oncology care.