Compassion Fatigue and Mindfulness: Comparing Mental Health Professionals and MSW Student Interns

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jodi L. Constantine Brown ◽  
Jacqueline Ong ◽  
Jessica M. Mathers ◽  
James T. Decker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Compassion Fatigue ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Msw Student ◽  
Student Interns

scholarly journals Employee Wellness Pilot Program

2020 ◽  
pp. 216507992097652
Author(s):  
Michelle L. Van Kirk
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Compassion Fatigue ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Secondary Traumatic Stress ◽  
Intent To Leave ◽  
Intent To Stay ◽  
Employee Wellness ◽  
Current Position

Background Mental health professionals caring for the veteran population are at increased risk for compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress based on the nature of their work. While mental health professionals may experience positive outcomes from providing compassionate care to veterans, compassion fatigue can lead to instability of the workforce. Methods A pilot employee wellness program was implemented over a 9-week period, offering a different wellness module weekly during the employee lunch hour. Demographic data were collected pre-program, and mental health employees were surveyed pre- and post-program using an intent to stay scale and the Professional Quality of Life Scale version 5 (ProQOL-5) to measure compassion satisfaction, burn out, and secondary traumatic stress. Findings Pre-program participants ( N = 42) reported significant differences in intent to stay in their current position for the next year compared to the post-program group ( N = 15). Pre-program participants reported no intent to leave their current position, apply for internal or external positions, or retire in the following year. However, post-program participants reported intent to leave their current positions, apply to internal or external positions, or retire. Pre- and post-program compassion satisfaction scores increased and burnout and secondary traumatic stress scores decreased; these scores were not significantly different between groups. Conclusions/Application to Practice While no significant differences were found between ProQOL-5 subscale scores, the change in participants’ scores may indicate some change, potentially as a result of the intervention. This pilot program offered a creative solution to organizations with limited resources to combat occupation-related compassion fatigue.

scholarly journals A Path Model for Burnout in Community Mental Health Professionals

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 9763
Author(s):  
Jin-Joo Chang ◽  
Sung-Hee Shin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Compassion Fatigue ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Compassion Satisfaction ◽  
Path Model ◽  
Nursing Interventions ◽  
Cognitive Emotion Regulation

The purpose of this research is to identify a path model to explain burnout in community mental health professionals based on the compassion satisfaction–compassion fatigue (CS-CF) model. A total of 125 mental health professionals, including nurses, social professionals, and psychologists working in mental health welfare centers in various regions across South Korea were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. A path analysis was conducted using SPSS 24.0 and AMOS 24.0. The results showed that compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue are significant predictors of burnout (β = −0.20, p = 0.011; β = 0.40, p < 0.001, respectively). The indirect pathways associated with burnout included occupational stress (β = 0.21, p = 0.021) and experience with aggressive behavior in the workplace (β = 0.33, p = 0.004) through maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation and compassion satisfaction. The total effect of the variables on burnout via compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction explained 62.5% of burnout among mental health professionals. These findings indicate that providing nursing interventions might reduce compassion fatigue and increase compassion satisfaction to reduce burnout. Furthermore, intervention programs that help to reduce the use of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies are necessary to effectively reduce burnout in mental health professionals.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of Job Demands and Resources Associated with Compassion Fatigue in Mental Health Professionals

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (19) ◽  
pp. 6987
Author(s):  
Jasmeet Singh ◽  
Maria Karanika-Murray ◽  
Thom Baguley ◽  
John Hudson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Compassion Fatigue ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Work Related ◽  
The Impact

Psychosocial hazards in mental healthcare contribute to the development of compassion fatigue in mental health professionals. Compassion fatigue has a negative impact on the mental health and wellbeing of professionals that can impair the quality of services provided to clients. The majority of research on compassion fatigue has focused on individual-level variables such as gender, history of trauma and age, among others. It is also imperative to understand the role played by alterable work-related characteristics in contributing to the development of compassion fatigue in order to attenuate its impact on mental health professionals and their clients. The present review examined articles exploring work-related factors associated with compassion fatigue. Fifteen quantitative studies were included and their quality was assessed using a checklist. An inductive content-analysis approach was adopted to synthesise the themes emerging from the data. The results suggested a theoretical model consistent with the Job Demands-Resources model, wherein job demands (such as workplace trauma, workload and therapeutic settings) are associated with compassion fatigue, and job resources (such as supervisors’, coworkers’ and organisational support) mitigate the impact of job demands. In addition to person-oriented factors, work-related factors are critical for the prevention of compassion fatigue.

scholarly journals Compassion Fatigue Among Family Caregivers of Schizophrenic Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Ratchaneekorn Upasen ◽  
◽  
Weeraphol Saengpanya ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Compassion Fatigue ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Mental Health Nurses ◽  
Schizophrenic Patients ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Depth Interviews

Caring for schizophrenic patients can cause long-term family caregivers to experience suffering and compassion fatigue (CF). However, the manifestations of CF among family caregivers of schizophrenic patients are unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore manifestations of CF among family caregivers of schizophrenic patients. In this study, grounded theory was used, and purposive and theoretical sampling was employed to recruit participants. Data were collected from 29 family caregivers through in-depth interviews and field notes. Constant and comparative methods were used to analyze data. The study revealed that participants had experienced several manifestations of CF, including stress, physical and mental exhaustion, disheartenment, anxiety and uncertainty, difficulty sleeping, a feeling of endless hard work, and a strong bonding with the patient. Compassion fatigue among family caregivers is a major concern impacting their ability to care for and aid schizophrenic patients. These findings can alert mental health professionals, including mental health nurses, to improve awareness and understanding of CF experienced by family caregivers. Mental health professionals can use these findings to develop plans to assist family caregivers of schizophrenic patients in alleviating manifestations of CF among these caregivers.

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