Objective: To determine how self-compassion and empathy might influence the degree of burnout, secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction among medical students and residents. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of medical students and select residency programs at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Respondents completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale (burnout, secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction), Neff's Self-Compassion Scale, and the empathic concern and personal distress subscales of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Results: The response rate was 28.6%. 23.9% and 27.3% of medical trainees reported high levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress, respectively. Females reported greater empathy but lower self-compassion than males. Greater concern for others and oneself and lower personal distress predicted greater pleasure derived from professional work. Less concern for others and lower concern for oneself predicted greater burnout. Conclusions: Compassion for oneself and for others within their care appears to ameliorate burnout and can increase professional satisfaction. Initiatives to foster empathy and self-compassion may enhance individual well-being.

Although chronic pain is common among older adults, the role of psychological variables in the adjustment to chronic pain is not well-understood in this population. Based on a cognitive-behavioural conceptualisation, we investigated the role of self-efficacy and coping strategies in the prediction of maladjustment to chronic pain (i.e., depression and pain-related interference with day-to-day life). Responses to psychometrically valid questionnaires were collected from 109 community-dwelling older persons with chronic pain. Regression analyses showed that self-efficacy predicted depression after controlling for number of medical conditions and pain-related interference. Similarly, pain interference was predicted by pain intensity, self-efficacy, and coping strategies after controlling for depression. Health-related variables predicted adjustment; cognitive and behavioural variables accounted for additional variance. These findings represent a replication and extension of work with younger chronic-pain patients, though some differences related to coping strategies are noted. Future studies may further clarify the relationship between pain and adjustment in older persons by assessing the role of cognitions and coping behaviours in a longitudinal fashion.

Background Mental illness and mental well-being are independent but correlated dimensions of mental health. Both are associated with social functioning (in opposite directions), but it is not known whether they modify the effects of one another. New treatment targets might emerge if improving mental well-being in people with serious mental illness improved functional outcomes independent of clinical status. Aims To describe associations between mental well-being and functioning in people classified according to mental illness status. Method Cross-sectional data from 5485 respondents to the Health Survey for England 2014 were analysed. Mental illness status (including whether diagnosed by a professional) was by self-report and grouped into four categories, including ‘diagnosis of serious mental illness’. Mental well-being was measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, and functioning by items from the EQ-5D. Mental distress was assessed using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) items. Associations were examined using moderated regression models with group membership as an interaction term. Results Mental well-being score was associated with (higher) functioning score (P < 0.05). This association varied between mental illness groups, even after adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, physical health and symptoms of mental distress (F(3) = 14.60, P < 0.001). The gradient of this association was greatest for those with diagnosed serious mental illness. Conclusions Mental well-being was associated with higher functional status in people with mental illness, independent of the symptoms of mental distress and other confounders. The association was strongest in the diagnosed serious mental illness group, suggesting that mental well-being may be important in recovery from mental illness.