Issue |
J Extra Corpor Technol
Volume 17, Number 3, September 1985
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 93 - 95 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/ject/1985173093 | |
Published online | 13 September 2023 |
Original Article
The Contribution of Individual Style to Stress in the Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery Team
1
Shadyside Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Direct communications to: Paul J. Friday, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Shadyside Hospital, 5230 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Interpersonal orientations of thoracic surgeons, operating room nurses, and perfusionists were assessed and found to differ substantially. It is proposed that these differences may contribute to increased stress-related symptoms within as well as outside of the operating room
Recent surveys1,2,3 have reported increased prevalance for stress-related symptoms such as alcohol abuse, drug addiction, marital discord, and even suicide among individuals functioning as part of thoracic surgery teams. Several factors, including the close proximity to death during and immediately following surgery, overcoming increased public prominence, and prolonged work hours with decreasing rewards have been projected as potential explanatory mechanisms for this phenomenen4. While these factors certainly account for a portion of the stress experienced in the operating room, investigations on personality differences and interpersonal orientations have been largely neglected in uncovering answers to this increasingly serious problem.
Each individual on the thoracic surgery team, from surgeon to nurse to perfusionist, possesses a unique interpersonal style that may help or hinder functioning as a member of a team. In addition, one's perception of interpersonal styles of the other members of the surgery team also has an effect on the level of stress in the operating room. These perceptions may affect whether individuals will function congruently or in conflict with one another. It can be proposed then, that the differing perceptions of inter-personal functioning in the operating room may be a major foundation for the rising levels of distress in the O.R.
In one of the most prominent theories of interpersonal behavior, Dr. Karen Horney5 described three general interpersonal styles: The individual's tendency to move toward other people (pleasantness); the tendency to move against other people (bluster); and the tendency to withdraw or move away from other people (selfisolate). According to Horney, the well-balanced individual should possess equivalent elements of all three styles. The tendency to neglect one mode and/or over use another may indicate the presence of considerable interpersonal strain and possible neurotic tendencies that could lead to stress-related symptoms. The purpose of this investigation is to assess interpersonal styles or traits, as defined by Horney, of individuals composing the thoracic surgery team.
It was hypothesized that significant variances in the three orientations ("toward," "against," or "away from'') or significant differences in perceptions of these orientations could be a foundation for the high stress levels in the lives of cardiovascular surgery team members.
© 1985 AMSECT
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