Work-related well-being of personal care attendants employed in the aged care sector: Prevalence and predictors of compassion fatigue.

Abstract

This study examined the factors contributing to compassion fatigue (CF) for personal care attendants (PCAs) working in the Australian aged care sector. Social media was the main recruitment mode. An anonymous online self-report survey collected demographic information and measures of CF from 169 PCAs, aged between 18 and 66years. High levels of CF were reported by 53.3% of respondents. Compassion fatigue was higher in PCAs working in residential aged care than those in community care. Predictors of CF were psychological distress, not having time to care for clients, and poor work psychosocial safety climate. Psychological distress explained 47.9% of the variance in the regression model. Many PCAs working in the Australian aged care sector report experiencing CF, which is highly associated with psychological distress. Interventions to reduce psychological stress for PCAs in aged care are urgently needed to ensure quality care and safety for residents.