Journal Article DKFZ-2026-01818

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Professional Grief, Burnout and Coping among Neuro-Oncologists: A Cross-Sectional Online Study (PROGRESS).

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2026
Oxford Univ. Press Oxford

Neuro-Oncology nn, nn () [10.1093/neuonc/noag161]
 GO

Abstract: Physicians treating patients with malignant central nervous system tumors frequently experience patient deaths, yet the impact of professional grief on burnout has not been examined in neuro-oncology. This study investigated whether acute grief responses following patient deaths (Short-term Bereavement Reactions, SBR) and long-term changes resulting from cumulative loss exposure (Accumulated Global Changes, AGC) are associated with emotional exhaustion (EE) among neuro-oncologists in Germany, and whether resilience moderates these relationships.This cross-sectional study included n = 131 physicians working in neuro-oncology in Germany. Validated instruments assessed professional grief, burnout, resilience, self-compassion, psychological distress, and neuroticism. Hierarchical regression tested associations and moderation hypotheses. Cluster analysis identified stress-vulnerability-capacity profiles.The sample comprised physicians across five neuro-oncological specialties (mean age 45.5, 48.1% female). SBR were significantly associated with higher EE after controlling for self-compassion, neuroticism, and psychological distress (B = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.64, P < 0.001), whereas AGC was not (B = 0.04, P = 0.602). Resilience did not moderate these associations. Self-compassion was independently associated with lower EE (B = -0.33, P = 0.012). Cluster analyses identified three distinct stress-vulnerability profiles: Low-Risk (51.1%), Moderate (35.1%), and High-Risk (13.7%). EE differed substantially across profiles (η² = 0.34), with 72.2% of the High-Risk group exceeding clinical EE thresholds. 40.5% of participants desired supervision that was unavailable.SBR, but not AGC, were associated with EE among neuro-oncologists. The High-Risk profile may represent a clinically relevant target for screening. Self-compassion and access to supervision warrant further investigation as potential intervention targets.

Keyword(s): Burnout ; Neuro-oncology ; Professional Grief ; Resilience ; Self-Compassion

Classification:

Note: #DKTKZFB26# / #NCTZFB26# / epub

Contributing Institute(s):
  1. DKTK Koordinierungsstelle Essen/Düsseldorf (ED01)
  2. KKE Neuropathologie (B300)
  3. DKTK HD zentral (HD01)
  4. Koordinierungsstelle NCT Heidelberg (HD02)
Research Program(s):
  1. 312 - Funktionelle und strukturelle Genomforschung (POF4-312) (POF4-312)

Appears in the scientific report 2026
Database coverage:
Medline ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Clinical Medicine ; Essential Science Indicators ; IF >= 15 ; JCR ; NationallizenzNationallizenz ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection
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 Record created 2026-07-22, last modified 2026-07-23



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