Likes and Hashtags: Exploring the Potential Relationship Between Social Media Use and the Emotional Wellbeing of Oncology Professionals

Abstract

Purpose

To explore the potential relationship between social media (SoMe) and burnout or overall wellbeing within the field of oncology.

Design

A cross-sectional study of adult and pediatric oncology professionals conducted using an anonymous electronic survey. The survey was disseminated through the Children's Oncology Group (COG) and the SWOG Cancer Research Network (SWOG) member listservs.

Results

The majority of pediatric and adult oncology professionals are not engaging on, with only 873/3000 (29%) using SoMe professionally. Use of SoMe was associated with statistically significant higher incidence of self-reported burnout and poorer self-reported work‒life integration (WLI). However, both groups reported the same degree of career satisfaction and choosing the same career/job again. SoMe users and non-users reported similar overall psychological distress, although the use of SoMe was associated with less severe psychological distress.

Conclusion

While SoMe users reported higher rates of burnout and poorer WLI compared to non-users, it was not accompanied by higher levels of psychological distress. Furthermore, there were no differences in career satisfaction. These misalignments require further study.