Self-compassion for palliative care personnel – the effect of specific training

Abstract

Self-compassion is a construct with real implication in case of palliative care. Self-compassion represents a personal resource and support for self-care. The personnel who provide care in the palliative settings can benefit from protective factors and self-compassion, but at the same time they feel the pressure of a major mental and physical burden. The aim of this study was to assess self-compassion in relation with palliative care personnel, care workers from hospice, oncology area and relatives of palliative care patients. The design of the study includes an evaluation of the self-compassion before and after a 90-minute training session done on a group of people from palliative care. The level of self-compassion was assessed with the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), with 26 items, proposed by Kristin Neff. The present study indicates that personnel in palliative care can benefit from special training in order to increase the level of self-compassion and at the same time to reduce the negative dimension of self-judgement, isolation and overidentification which interferes with the positive state of mind and health.