Health Psychology Open · Published 2026-06-01 · DOI 10.1177/20551029261458473
Seda Sahin, Asli Turgutoglu Yilmaz, Meric Kaymak, Selma Cakmakci, Hayriye Dilek Hamurcu, Neriman Sari, Turan Bayhan, Inci Ergurhan Ilhan
Background: Physicians in oncology face emotionally demanding conditions that increase psychological distress, but whether this exposure promotes posttraumatic growth (PTG) remains unclear. Objective: To compare distress and PTG among physicians in paediatric and adult oncology and examine their relationship. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 265 physicians from four groups were assessed using HADS, DASS-21, and PTGI. Group differences were analysed with ANOVA/ANCOVA adjusting for age, experience, and hospital type; correlations were examined with Pearson analysis. Results: Paediatric physicians showed higher DASS-21 stress, anxiety, depression ( p ≤ 0.033). Department was associated with HADS-D ( p = 0.047) but not HADS-A. PTGI scores did not differ across groups ( p > 0.05). Distress measures were strongly correlated (r = 0.67–0.83), whereas associations with PTG were weak and negative (r = −0.10 to −0.15). Conclusion: Paediatric oncology physicians experience greater psychological distress, but this does not translate into higher PTG, suggesting that growth depends on contextual and organisational factors rather than distress severity alone.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
Read the article at the publisher →
Sahin, S., Yilmaz, A., Kaymak, M., et al. (2026). Psychological distress and posttraumatic growth among physicians working in paediatric and adult oncology settings: A cross-sectional study. Health Psychology Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/20551029261458473