Abstract
Background: The work of health professionals often involves physical as well as psychological strain. They constantly deal with traumatic situations of pain and suffering, which destabilize the sense of well-being. Compassion fatigue is a feeling that appears in these cases and is related to other variables such as burnout or emotional drain.Aims: The principal aim of this project was to deepen the analysis of compassion fatigue and how it could be explained through the relationship with other constructs such as emotional intelligence and perceived health.Methods: This work followed the STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies. In this study 1,521 nurses (Mage = 47.32; SD = 8.44) participated. The responses reported by the nurses were analyzed by classifying them as high or low compassion fatigue and the differences of both groups were analyzed for the variables of emotional intelligence, perceived health and quality of professional life.Results: It was obtained significant differences for all factors except for emotional intelligence factor. A linear regression analysis showed both emotional intelligence and perceived health helped to explain (12%) compassion fatigue.Conclusion: This study provides light on comprehending the conception of compassion fatigue. It highlights the importance of intervention programs that improve the quality of professional life.
Highlights
Healthcare requires professionals to be physically, emotionally and spiritually highly dedicated (Han et al, 2018), which is heightened by caring for people who are suffering or experiencing pain (Feeley et al, 2019)
It has been observed that levels of compassion fatigue in nurses are very high
That emotional intelligence and perceived health is highly related to compassion fatigue
Summary
Healthcare requires professionals to be physically, emotionally and spiritually highly dedicated (Han et al, 2018), which is heightened by caring for people who are suffering or experiencing pain (Feeley et al, 2019). Compassion Fatigue is considered to be a phenomenon that occurs when professionals develop a diminished capacity for empathy, or compassion, as they deal daily with the discomfort or even the death of their patients (Peters, 2018). This concept is related to the secondary post-traumatic stress suffered by professionals, who in order to offer their help, experience the suffering and pain of their patients (Figley, 1995). The work of health professionals often involves physical as well as psychological strain They constantly deal with traumatic situations of pain and suffering, which destabilize the sense of well-being. Compassion fatigue is a feeling that appears in these cases and is related to other variables such as burnout or emotional drain
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