Structural Equation Model of the Quality of Working Life among Cancer Survivors Returning to Work

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to construct and validate a model of the quality of working life (QWL) among cancer survivors returning to work. Methods: A cross-sectional study was developed. Participants included 204 cancer survivors in the extended cancer survivor stage, 6 months after returning to work, who were treated at two tertiary hospital cancer centers. The data were analyzed with SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 20.0 for confirmatory factor analysis to assess the hypothesis fit and verify the hypothesis. Results: Factors affecting cancer survivors' quality of working liferesulted in cancer stigma and social support (explanatory power was 43.1%) and the model showed acceptable goodness of fit. In the final model, cancer stigma had a significant direct effect on social support and indirect effect on organizational health, employee health, and QWL. Additionally, social support had significant direct effect on organizational health, employee health and QWL. Conclusion:Based on the results of this study, there is a need to develop strategies and effective intervention programs that can increase the support of supervisors and colleagues for improving overall quality of work life. Furthermore, the development of policies and intervention programs to reduce cancer stigma for the purpose of transforming perceptions through education and public relations which are indirect factors that affect the quality of work life, can contribute to improving the quality of work life for cancer survivors.

Factors Affecting Quality of Work Life in a Sample of Cancer Survivor Female Nurses

“…QWL was higher among nurses aged 40 years or older, those who worked day shifts, nurse managers, those with religious beliefs, and those who had had gynecologic cancer. With the exception of type of cancer, these results are similar to previous findings, where QWL differed according to age, shift type, job position, and religion [ 12 , 16 , 19 ]. Regarding cancer type, unlike prior studies, this study limited the type of cancer to three types—breast cancer, thyroid cancer and gynecological cancer—which are the most common types among South Korean women [ 1 ].…”

“…As this study analyzed the overall mean of fatigue and job stress among a single professional group (nurses), the results might not reflect the different characteristics according to the level of QWL. In addition, fatigue is one of the most common physical symptoms experienced by cancer survivors, and the physical and psychological changes cancer survivors have experienced following cancer diagnosis and treatment might impact their QWL by inducing job stress while they readjust to their work lives [ 13 , 19 ]. Therefore, subsequent studies should further examine the features of fatigue and job stress among female nurses who survived cancer and their effects on QWL to re-confirm their impact.…”

“…As such, it will be important to explore integrative measures to aid control of fatigue and job stress, and to increase workplace spirituality; these measures should be applied to the management and improvement of QWL of nurses who survived cancer. This is because, as with healthy nurses, fatigue, job stress, and workplace spirituality are statistically significantly correlated [ 41 ] and workplace spirituality in cancer survivors impacts the regulation of job stress and job satisfaction, a similar concept to QWL [ 19 ].…”

“…In a study on QWL among staff nurses, nurses’ perceived health status [ 17 ], educational level and length of career [ 18 ], turnover intention [ 8 ], job stress [ 8 ], and fatigue [ 15 ] were identified as the predictors or factors associated with QWL, but no past study has examined QWL among nurses with a chronic disease such as cancer. One survey conducted in Korea reported that healthcare professionals, including nurses, accounted for 30% of all cancer survivors who have returned to work, and this percentage is projected to continue to rise [ 16 , 19 ].…”

“…Considering that individual diversity, the impact of fatigue, job stress, and spirituality will vary among cancer survivors, depending on their QWL, analyses should take this into consideration. However, despite such diversity of traits among individuals, the small number of studies that have examined the characteristics of cancer survivors according to QWL conducted statistical analyses only using the OLS method [ 16 , 19 ].…”