eprintid: 17874 rev_number: 8 eprint_status: archive userid: 2 dir: disk0/00/01/78/74 datestamp: 2025-11-10 23:30:15 lastmod: 2025-11-10 23:30:16 status_changed: 2025-11-10 23:30:15 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Matiz-Moya, Estefan creators_name: Delgado Bolton, Roberto C. creators_name: García-Gómez, Esperanza creators_name: Vivanco, Luis creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: luis.vivanco@uneatlantico.es title: Empathy and Occupational Health and Well-Being in Ecuadorian Physicians Working with COVID-19 Patients: A Mixed-Method Study ispublished: pub subjects: uneat_ps divisions: uneatlantico_produccion_cientifica full_text_status: public keywords: somatization; emotional exhaustion; work alienation; empathy; COVID-19; doctor-patient relationship abstract: Approximately one out of ten COVID-19 cases in Ecuador was a physician. It has been reported that this situation has led to a serious detriment of physicians’ health and well-being. This study aimed to (i) identify predictors of emotional exhaustion, somatization, and work alienation in Ecuadorian physicians working with COVID-19 patients and (ii) explore the pandemic impact on doctor–patient relationships and on empathy. In 79 Ecuadorian physicians (45 women) who worked with COVID-19 patients, two separate multiple regression models explained the following: 73% of the variability of emotional exhaustion was based on somatization, work alienation, working sector, and passing through a symptomatic infection (p < 0.001), and 56% of the variability of somatization was based on gender and emotional exhaustion (p < 0.001), respectively. Furthermore, intention to leave the profession was more frequent among physicians with greater work alienation (p = 0.003). On the contrary, more empathic physicians never considered leaving their profession during the COVID-19 pandemic (p = 0.03). In physicians’ verbatim, cognitive empathy appeared associated to a positive change in doctor–patient relationships. On the contrary, having an overwhelming emotional empathy appeared associated to a negative change in doctor–patient relationships. These findings characterize differences in how physicians cope while working in the frontline of the pandemic. date: 2023-04 publication: Healthcare volume: 11 number: 8 pagerange: 1177 id_number: doi:10.3390/healthcare11081177 refereed: TRUE issn: 2227-9032 official_url: http://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11081177 access: open language: en citation: Artículo Materias > Psicología Universidad Europea del Atlántico > Investigación > Artículos y libros Abierto Inglés Approximately one out of ten COVID-19 cases in Ecuador was a physician. It has been reported that this situation has led to a serious detriment of physicians’ health and well-being. This study aimed to (i) identify predictors of emotional exhaustion, somatization, and work alienation in Ecuadorian physicians working with COVID-19 patients and (ii) explore the pandemic impact on doctor–patient relationships and on empathy. In 79 Ecuadorian physicians (45 women) who worked with COVID-19 patients, two separate multiple regression models explained the following: 73% of the variability of emotional exhaustion was based on somatization, work alienation, working sector, and passing through a symptomatic infection (p < 0.001), and 56% of the variability of somatization was based on gender and emotional exhaustion (p < 0.001), respectively. Furthermore, intention to leave the profession was more frequent among physicians with greater work alienation (p = 0.003). On the contrary, more empathic physicians never considered leaving their profession during the COVID-19 pandemic (p = 0.03). In physicians’ verbatim, cognitive empathy appeared associated to a positive change in doctor–patient relationships. On the contrary, having an overwhelming emotional empathy appeared associated to a negative change in doctor–patient relationships. These findings characterize differences in how physicians cope while working in the frontline of the pandemic. metadata Matiz-Moya, Estefan; Delgado Bolton, Roberto C.; García-Gómez, Esperanza y Vivanco, Luis mail SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, luis.vivanco@uneatlantico.es (2023) Empathy and Occupational Health and Well-Being in Ecuadorian Physicians Working with COVID-19 Patients: A Mixed-Method Study. Healthcare, 11 (8). p. 1177. ISSN 2227-9032 document_url: http://repositorio.uneatlantico.es/id/eprint/17874/1/healthcare-11-01177-v2.pdf