The relationship between burn-out and personality in care-givers in a palliative care unit

This sudy was designed to test the hypothesis that there is a relationship between Burn out and personality in care-givers who are repeatedly confront ed with the death of patients in a Palliative Care Unit. Three care-givers (N=37) were evaluated several months after the opening of their unit (Auto Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-3-R Personality Disorders Questionnai re and Inventaire de Mesure du Burn out de Maslach). Three categories of pe rsonality within the emotional exhaustion dimension are especially affected : self-defeating passive-agressive and obsessive-compulsive. Clinical char acteristics of these personalities when confronted with the technical, rela tional, and reflexive requirements for care of patients in the terminal pha se of their illness are discussed. Some reflections on the DSM classificati on are also presented.