Validation of the English version of Self-competence in Death Work Scale among palliative care professionals: Interfacing between professional and personal orientations

The original Chinese version of the Self-competence in Death Work Scale was developed to measure helping professionals’ perceived competence to cope with emotional and existential challenges in working with death and bereavement. This study aimed to validate the English version of this scale. A survey was conducted and 199 palliative care professionals (PCP) in the UK completed an online questionnaire. Findings supported the scale’s validity but indicated a new three-factor structure, “Professional Orientation,” “Personal Orientation” and “Professional-Personal Interfacing Orientation,” which offers a renewed understanding of self-competence in death work. This understanding highlights the importance of professionals’ coping with blended emotional and existential challenges which manifested in personal and professional aspects and in areas in which these aspects interface. It gives insights into the way training and support which focus on the integrated understanding of personal and professional self could be given to PCP and other professionals doing death work.