Working with Death: Psychosocial Risks and Protective Factors at Work in Funeral and Health Care Professions

Dear Colleagues,

The health care professions and the operators of the funeral industry (including necroscopic, mortuary, funeral, crematoria, and cemetery services) share the same experience of death and the emotions associated with it on a daily basis. These workers are affected by high levels of suffering during the course of their work and often have the task of assisting with the end of life rites that can facilitate the mourning process for the friends and relatives of the deceased. Therefore, they are exposed to a high risk in terms of mental and physical discomfort, with negative consequences for both the quality of their life and the offered service. The main symptoms include physical and psychological problems, dissatisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress, up to the onset of counterproductive behaviors and the development of addictions (with or without the use of substances). These working difficulties are aggravated by the management of the relations with patient’s families or with deceased’s  mourners.

In this Special Issue, we invite authors to contribute with research that examines health care professions and funeral operators’ work conditions, with attention to risk and protective factors of wellbeing and of health at work. Papers investigating the role of compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction, exhaustion, coping strategies (e.g., humor), stigma, and emotion management among health care professions and operators of the funeral industry will be especially welcome.

Dr. Lara Colombo
Dr. Margherita Zito
Guest Editors

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