Paper

Impact of a meaning-centered intervention on job satisfaction and on quality of life among palliative care nurses

  1. Lise Fillion1,2,3,*,
  2. Stéphane Duval2,3,
  3. Serge Dumont2,3,4,
  4. Pierre Gagnon2,3,5,
  5. Isabelle Tremblay2,3,
  6. Isabelle Bairati2,
  7. William S. Breitbart6

Article first published online: 22 JAN 2009

DOI: 10.1002/pon.1513

Issue

Psycho‐Oncology

Psycho-Oncology

Volume 18, Issue 12, pages 1300–1310, December 2009

Additional Information

How to Cite

Fillion, L., Duval, S., Dumont, S., Gagnon, P., Tremblay, I., Bairati, I. and Breitbart, W. S. (2009), Impact of a meaning-centered intervention on job satisfaction and on quality of life among palliative care nurses. Psycho-Oncology, 18: 1300–1310. doi: 10.1002/pon.1513

Author Information

  1. 1

    Faculty of Nursing, Laval University, Quebec, Canada

  2. 2

    Cancer Research Centre (CRC), CHUQ, Laval University, Quebec, Canada

  3. 3

    Maison Michel-Sarrazin, Quebec, Canada

  4. 4

    Department of Social Work, Laval University, Quebec, Canada

  5. 5

    Faculty of Pharmacy, Laval University, Quebec, Canada

  6. 6

    Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

*Faculty of Nursing, Laval University, Quebec G1V 0A6, Canada

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 24 NOV 2009
  2. Article first published online: 22 JAN 2009
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 5 NOV 2008
  4. Manuscript Revised: 31 OCT 2008
  5. Manuscript Received: 23 APR 2008

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Keywords:

  • meaning;
  • palliative care nursing;
  • group intervention;
  • stress management;
  • randomized trial;
  • satisfaction at work;
  • quality of life

Abstract

Objective: Palliative care (PC) nurses experience several recurrent organizational, professional, and individual challenges. To address existential and emotional demands, the meaning-centered intervention was recently developed. The intervention applied didactic and process-oriented strategies, including guided reflections, experiential exercises, and education based on themes of Viktor Frankl's logotherapy. The objective of this study was to test its efficiency to improve job satisfaction and quality of life in PC nurses from three regional districts in Quebec Province, Canada.

Methods: A randomized waiting-list group design was conducted, intervention group (n=56) versus waiting-list group (n=53). Job satisfaction, perception of benefits of working in PC, and spiritual and emotional quality of life were measured at pre-, posttest, and 3-month follow-up.

Results: The PC nurses in the experimental group reported more perceived benefits of working in PC after the intervention and at follow-up. Spiritual and emotional quality of life remained, however, unaffected by the intervention.

Conclusions: To explain null findings, theoretical and methodological challenges, related to existential interventions, such as choice of outcomes, and selection bias (participants recruited were healthy workers) are discussed. Future directions and strategies to deal with those issues are proposed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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