The joint effect of attachment orientations and empathy on compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among oncologists.

Objective: Compassion fatigue, which consists of burnout and secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction are conceptualized as the negative and positive emotional reactions of working in the helping professions. In this study we examined the joint effect of oncologists' attachment orientations and empathy on their compassion fatigue and satisfaction.

Methods: Seventy-three oncologists completed a demographic questionnaire, the shortened version of the Experiences in Close Relationships scale, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and the Professional Quality of Life questionnaire.

The paradox: guilt as an antidote to helplessness among oncologists.

Purpose: Oncologists are exposed to suffering, loss, and death, and as a result may experience guilt. The study examined two competing hypotheses regarding the relation between locus of control (LOC) and guilt among oncologists and the mediating role of helplessness.

Method: Eighty-three oncologists answered a demographic questionnaire; the Levenson's "Internal, Powerful Others, and Chance" scale; the Guilt Inventory; and the Learned Helplessness Scale.