Levels Of Compassion Research Articles

The effect of the compassion levels of healthcare workers on their psychological well-being.

A sense of compassion has a core importance in health service delivery. Research on the psychological impact of being compassionate on healthcare workers is limited. This research aims to examine the effect of compassion levels of healthcare workers on their psychological well-being. This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study. The population of the research consists of health personnel working throughout Ankara, the capital. The study was carried out with 414 healthcare workers. A personal information form, compassion scale and psychological well-being scale were used in the research questionnaire. A positive and significant relationship was found between compassion and psychological well-being scores. It was determined that compassion positively affected psychological well-being levels. The level of compassion showed that there was a significant difference between the groups according to the variables of gender, family structure, job satisfaction and whether they would choose the same profession again. The level of psychological well-being was found to be significantly different between the groups in education, job satisfaction and making the same profession choice again. It is a professional requirement that health professionals in patient care have a sense of compassion and reflect this feeling in their conduct. Research shows that the greater the compassion, the higher the psychological well-being. Therefore, undertaking training initiatives to make healthcare workers more compassionate can contribute to patient care and at the same time to the psychological well-being of healthcare workers.

Determination of Compassion and Compassion Fatigue in Intensive Care Nurses.

Compassion is defined as the sadness felt by a living thing or a person due to a negative situation. Compassion fatigue describes emotional, physical, social and spiritual exhaustion or a decrease in these feelings. The concept of compassion, which is at the center of nursing, may be related to compassion fatigue in nurses. The aims of the study were to determine the level of compassion fatigue and compassion among intensive care nurses and to examine the relationship between them. This study was conducted through descriptive research and cross-sectional survey. The population of the research consisted of intensive care nurses from two hospitals in Turkey. Since the universe is accessible, the sample selection method was not used (n = 182). Demographic data form, Compassion Fatigue sub-dimension of the Professional Quality of Life Scale and Compassion Scale were used in the study. The mean score of the nurses' compassion fatigue was 15.86 ± 7.22, and compassion was 72.21 ± 7.28. There was a moderate negative relationship between compassion and compassion fatigue (r = -.405). It was determined that the nurses' compassion was at a moderate level and their compassion fatigue was at a low level. It can be assumed that ICU nurses' compassion is at a medium level and their compassion fatigue is at a low level. It was established that as the compassion level of the nurses increased, the level of compassion fatigue decreased. Developing a sense of compassion in nurses working in intensive care units can reduce compassion fatigue.

Factors Influencing the Behavioural Intention to Adopt Islamic Banking in Pakistan with the Mediating Role of Attitude

In Pakistan, the understanding percentage of products offered by Islamic banks is less than 8%, and it is the biggest challenge for the Islamic financial system to increase the compassion level of people about their laws offered products and services. This study investigates the relationship between attitude, perceived behavioural control, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, subjective norms, and intention to investigate the low adoption of Islamic banking in Pakistan. The study also analyses the mediating role of attitude and willingness to adopt Islamic banking. Partial least square structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypotheses. The findings revealed that attitude, subjective norms, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness significantly impact the intention to use Islamic Banking. Similarly, subjective norms, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use significantly impact attitude. However, perceived behavioural control does not substantially affect attitude and intention to use Islamic banking. Moreover, the study also revealed a significant mediating role of attitude between subjective norms, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and intention to adopt Islamic Banking. These findings indicate that Banks should target the public and start a campaign through electronic and print media. Banks should provide information about their rules and regulations, which are genuinely according to Shariah, ultimately leading to people's positive attitude toward adopting Islamic banking.

Nursing Students’ Level of Compassion and Thoughts About Compassion Fatigue

Since humane and good nursing care cannot be provided without compassion, it is undeniable that every intervention made with a sense
 of compassion will cause less pain to individuals and negative experiences will decrease. This research was conducted to evaluate the
 compassion levels of nursing students and their strategies to prevent compassion fatigue.
 The population consisted of 350 undergraduate nursing students in a state university. The information form consists of questions related
 to the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, the nursing profession, empathy and compassion, and the Compassion Scale
 were used to obtain data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean and median), Mann Whitney U and
 Kruskal Wallis test.
 It was observed that there was a significant difference in the compassion and conscious awareness dimensions of the scale among those
 who thought that institutional strategies should be used to prevent compassion. The level of compassion fatigue is mostly experienced in
 the dimension of emotional problems (36.6%), excessive professional workload (46.9%) is seen as the trigger of compassion fatigue, and
 the majority of participants think that institutional strategies should be used to prevent compassion fatigue (85.5%). has been found. It was
 determined that the students’ average compassion scale score was 3.97 ± 0.46.
 It is concluded that nursing students experienced compassion fatigue due to excessive workload, and they thought that it was important
 to implement institutional strategies to prevent it. Nursing students’ awareness of compassion fatigue should be increased and students
 should be supported to develop their own strategies to overcome compassion fatigue

The Relationship Between Religious Attitude, Compassion and Spiritual Care in Nursing Students: The Case of Türkiye.

In the present descriptive study, we aimed to examine the relationship between the levels of religious attitude, compassion and spiritual care perception among nursing students. Data were obtained from 135 nursing students using the Socio-Demographic Diagnosis Form, the Ok-Religious Attitude Scale, the Compassion Scale, and the Spiritual Care-Giving Scale. The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis H test, the Spearman correlation test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. A positive correlation was found between the scores of the Ok-religious attitude scale and cognition sub-dimension, emotion sub-dimension, behavior sub-dimension, god sub-dimension and compassion scale and spiritual care-giving scale scores. Furthermore, we observed that some socio-demographic, and nursing profession and spiritual care characteristics of the students affected their religious attitudes, compassion and spiritual care perception. The sub-dimension scores of compassion and awareness of sharing among female students and the mindfulness scores of students with nuclear families were high. Our data suggest that the course contents for spiritual care, which is an integral part of holistic nursing care, should be included in the nursing curriculum. Moreover, we recommend that efforts be made to maintain a high level of compassion while considering the socio-demographics of the students and their opinions on the nursing profession. Finally, the data presented here has the potential to serve as a valuable resource for the development of novel approaches to the provision of spiritual care within nursing education programs.

Exploring Compassion towards Laboratory Animals in UK- and China-Based Undergraduate Biomedical Sciences Students.

Taking a compassionate approach to the non-human animals used in biomedical research is in line with emerging ideas around a "culture of care". It is important to expose biomedical sciences students to the concept of a culture of care at an early stage and give them opportunities to explore related practices and ideas. However, there is no simple tool to explore biomedical sciences students' attitudes towards laboratory animals. Accordingly, there is little understanding of students' feelings towards these animals, or a means of quantifying potential changes to these feelings. We developed a 12-item questionnaire designed to explore compassion (the Laboratory Animal Compassion Scale; LACS) and used it with UK-based and China-based samples of undergraduate biomedical sciences students. In the same samples, we also explored a harm-benefit analysis task and students' beliefs regarding some mental characteristics of laboratory animals, then drew correlations with the quantitative measure of compassion. Compassion levels were stable across years of study and were not related to students' level of experience of working with laboratory animals. We observed a higher level of compassion in females versus males overall, and a higher level overall in the UK-based versus China-based sample. In a task pitting animal suffering against human wellbeing, students' compassion levels correlated negatively with their acceptance of animal suffering. Compassion levels correlated positively with a belief in animals being conscious and possessing emotions. These data are in line with studies that show compassion is gender- and nationality/culture-dependent, and points to links between compassion, beliefs, and choices.

Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress among Respiratory Therapists in Mississippi: A Cross-Sectional Study

The COVID-19 pandemic had an immense effect on the well-being of healthcare professionals. In this study, researchers utilized a quantitative cross-sectional study design to investigate the degree of compassion satisfaction and fatigue amongst respiratory therapists in the state of Mississippi as a result of providing care to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Quantitative data were collected using an anonymous online survey that assessed the well-being and satisfaction of licensed respiratory therapists in the state of Mississippi. More specially, survey responses (n = 326) were quantitatively evaluated to measure the association between demographic variables and compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout (BO), and secondary traumatic stress (STS). Ninety-seven percent of participants reported a medium to high CS level, while 74% indicated having a medium to high level of BO, and 69% reported a medium to high level of STS. Neither age nor gender had a significant difference in CS (p = 0.504; p = 0.405), BO (p = 0.161; p = 0.285), or STS (p = 0.145; p = 0.252). Those working for more than 10 years at their current employer had higher CS (M = 38.7) and lower BO (M = 24.9) and STS (M = 24.8) scores. The number of hours worked, specifically overtime, had a significant impact on BO (β = 0.09, p = 0.028) and STS (β = 0.0.11, p = 0.019), but not CS (β = 0.02, p = 0.655). These findings suggest that the number of years employed in the field impacts the level of compassion satisfaction and contributes to lower levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress. The age of a patient may also affect levels of compassion and burnout. The results of this study highlight the importance of developing incentive plans in an effort to retain employees.

Embedding spirituality and compassion into clinical education: A pilot study of Spotlight sessions in Advanced Clinical Practice

ABSTRACT The need for spiritually sensitive and compassionate health care is recognised by health-regulatory bodies, yet, they are often not taught in health professional education. Guidelines identify expected competencies, but the best teaching techniques to develop these competencies, are unknown. Spotlights are a novel teaching method designed to integrate compassion and spirituality into existing academic curricula. Spotlights entail a moment in taught sessions, where the clinical knowledge that is being delivered, is used to scaffold discussions surrounding compassion and spirituality. A pilot project explored Spotlight’s ability to integrate compassion and spirituality into health professional education. Trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioners received between 23 and 46 Spotlights over an academic year. The effectiveness was assessed by an anonymous survey pre- and post-intervention. Mean post-intervention scores were largely unchanged from corresponding pre-intervention scores. High levels of compassion and positive perceptions of spirituality were found before the intervention. The study was not powered to assess efficacy and significance testing was not conducted. Surprising outcomes saw students autonomously incorporating Spotlights into their work and increased discussions surrounding spirituality. Thus suggesting these concepts were becoming embedded into the culture of the trainees. Spotlights were an implementable method, well received by students and educators alike. Highlights Compassionate and spiritually sensitive care is expected of health professionals. Teaching methods to develop these competencies are being explored. Spotlights are a novel teaching method to integrate compassion and spirituality into clinical education.

Factors influencing patient experience during incision and drainage procedures in hidradenitis suppurativa: an analysis of patient-reported outcomes.

Patients with hidradenitis suppurativa who undergo incision and drainage experience higher levels of dread and lower levels of benefit due to poor anaesthesia and wound packing practices, and lower levels of provider compassion. Higher levels of dread were associated with increased pain during incision (coefficient 0.3, 95% CI 0.19–0.42) and wound packing or drain vs. simple bandaging (coefficient 2.25, 95% CI 0.61–3.90). Higher perceived benefits over drawbacks were associated with higher physician compassion (coefficient 0.21, 95% CI 0.06–0.36) and decreased pain during incision (coefficient 0.14, 95% CI 0.03–0.27).

Peace-Oriented Mindset and How to Measure it.

This article presents the concept of a Peace-Oriented Mindset (POM), based on peace psychology and the significance of conflict-related context. It highlights the role of preventing conflicts through creating an enabling and peace-supportive milieu, facilitated by individuals with specific peace-oriented capabilities. The phenomenon of POM is analyzed, as well as delineated in the context of the current knowledge in this field. Next, the method used to construct a questionnaire measuring the POM is presented. The POM scale is verified on an N = 1074 representative sample, documenting high reliability. Factor analysis confirms the conjecture that there are three dimensions of the POM: Cognitive, performative, and doability conviction. Moreover, social norms are documented. A cross-segment comparison delivers several insights, e.g., that women have a higher POM level than men and that those who consider themselves leaders or innovators and those who are involved in social activities have a higher POM level than those who do not. The POM concept and scale are valuable resources for identifying future peacebuilders, especially from conflicted communities, as well as for training future youth leaders in the field of peacebuilding. Finally, indications for future studies are discussed, e.g., for verifying the hypothesis that individuals who score high in POM also have higher levels of empathy and compassion.

Mental Health and String Education: Identifying Key Concerns Within the American String Teachers Association Community

At the 2020 American String Teachers Association (ASTA) Conference held in Orlando Florida, an attendee of the Wellness Committee Listening Session recommended that a study be conducted to determine the prevalence and awareness of mental health concerns among students and teachers within the organization. Members agreed that there is more needed to be understood so that ASTA could provide professional development webinars, resources, as well as local, state, and national conference sessions. In response to this request and the clear need for more information, a survey was developed and deployed to the ASTA membership in the fall of 2020. Follow-up interviews with members who volunteered in response to an invitation on the survey were conducted in the spring and early summer of 2021. Teachers reported a high prevalence of student mental health issues prior to and during the pandemic and reported concerning levels of work overload, compassion fatigue/burnout, and mental health issues. Generational differences in mental health perceptions were noted, as were opportunities to provide targeted professional development and community-level services.

Compassion levels of surgical and operating room nurses

Compassion levels of surgical and operating room nurses

The Compassion Balance: Understanding the Interrelation of Self- and Other-Compassion for Optimal Well-being

ObjectivesThis study examined the role of self-other harmony in the relations between self-compassion, other-compassion, and well-being. Past research has shown self- and other-compassion to be positively related. But we hypothesised that self-compassion can be perceived as incompatible with other-compassion, and that self-compassion and other-compassion might be uncorrelated or negatively correlated in daily life for some individuals. We termed this pattern lack of self-other harmony in compassion and hypothesised that it would undermine the benefits of compassion.MethodUsing an experience sampling method in patients (n=154) with a variety of diagnoses, we measured self-compassion, other-compassion, life-satisfaction, mood, and contextual variables six times per day for 42 time points.ResultsFor most participants, self-compassion was positively associated with other-compassion. However, there was substantial heterogeneity in this effect. The degree of self-other harmony moderated the link between compassion directed towards self or other and well-being. Higher levels of compassion were associated with higher levels of well-being, but only for those who experienced the harmony. When the two forms of compassion were not in harmony, levels of self/other-compassion were largely unrelated to well-being.ConclusionsThe findings emphasise the importance of personalised compassion interventions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Increasing self-compassion or other-compassion is likely to improve well-being for most people. However, for a minority lacking the self-other harmony, it may be necessary to assess their interpretation of self- and other-compassion, then work with them to promote the compassion balance optimal for their well-being.PreregistrationThis study is not preregistered.

The relationship between moral courage and lovingkindness–compassion levels in critical care nurses: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundEthical dilemmas and ethical problems are very common in intensive care units. Nurses need moral courage to deal with these problems. Nurses’ high empathy, humility, lovingkindness, and compassion support them to act with moral courage. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to determine the moral courage, lovingkindness, and compassion levels of critical care nurses and to reveal whether there is a relationship between them. MethodsOne hundred sixty-eight nurses working in the intensive care unit of a university hospital in Turkey were included in this correlational descriptive cross-sectional study. The data were collected with the Nurses’ Moral Courage Scale (NMCS) and the Loving-kindness Compassion Scale (LCS). ResultsThere was a positive and significant relationship between the NMCS and the LCS lovingkindness (r = .377, p < .05) and compassion (r = .405, p < .05) subdimensions; on the other hand, a negative and significant relationship was observed with the LCS self-centredness subdimension (r = -.215, p = .025). In addition, the mean scores of the LCS subdimensions of compassion, self-centredness, and lovingkindness were predictors of the NMCS total score (R = .475, R2 = .286, p < .05). ConclusionsIn this study, it was determined that critical care nurses with high moral courage levels had high levels of compassion and lovingkindness and low levels of self-centredness. A high level of moral courage and compassion in nurses may contribute to quality and safe patient care. In-service trainings may be planned to increase nurses' awareness of moral courage, loving-kindness, and compassion.

The role of team compassion in mitigating the impact of hierarchical bullying

Abstract Hierarchical bullying in public healthcare organizations is an entrenched negative behaviour that results in a range of adverse outcomes for staff, including diminished wellbeing. This study integrates social exchange and conservation of resources theories as a lens for formulating hypotheses and employs multilevel statistical modelling to examine whether team-level compassion moderates the impact of hierarchical bullying on wellbeing. Using multilevel statistical modelling, the study analysed cross-sectional data from 632 healthcare workers nested within 48 teams in a single public health district in Australia. The findings indicate that work teams with higher levels of team compassion can mitigate the negative effects of hierarchical bullying on employee wellbeing. The results imply that investing in developing compassion within teams is an effective strategy for mitigating some harmful effects of hierarchical bullying on employee outcomes.

Understanding the impact of transformational leadership on nurse compassion provision through a time-lagged field study.

A large volume of literature identifies positive, rejuvenating benefits associated with giving compassion to others. However, the relationship between giving compassion and feelings of exhaustion remains underexplored. Understanding when giving compassion can potentially lead to feelings of emotional exhaustion is particularly important for nurses who are called upon to provide high levels of compassion to suffering patients in their daily work. We suggest that by engaging in transformational leadership behaviors, frontline supervisors can help nurses realize the positive benefits associated with giving compassion. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of nurses' perceptions of transformational leadership offered by their supervisors on the relationship between the levels of compassionate behaviors nurses report engaging in with patients and feelings of emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. A time-lagged field survey was conducted across two waves of 112 full-time employed inpatient nurses within the United States. Providing high levels of compassionate behavior to patients was associated with reduced (increased) perceptions of emotional exhaustion and increased (decreased) job satisfaction when supervisors engaged in higher (lower) levels of transformational leadership. Transformational leadership serves as an important resource to help caregivers such that nurses feel invigorated and satisfied, as opposed to drained or fatigued, when engaging in high levels of compassionate behaviors toward suffering patients. For nurses to fully reap the established positive benefits associated with providing compassion to patients, frontline supervisors should be encouraged to engage in behaviors reflective of transformational leadership.

Navigating the Storm: Documenting the Experience of Inpatient Registered Nurses Amid the COVID Pandemic-Palliative Care Team Insights.

Nominal research illustrates the lived experience of intensive care unit registered nurses during the COVID pandemic. Palliative care team leaders and nurse researchers designed this cross-sectional study to discover opportunities for palliative care team members to enhance the experience of nurses who cared for critically ill patients during this challenging time. The study aimed to compare the effect of caring for patients in COVID versus non-COVID units. Surveys were distributed after the area's initial COVID patient influx. Questions included general demographics, the Professional Quality of Life survey instrument (measuring compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress), and open-ended questions to identify protective factors and unique challenges. Across 5 care settings with 311 nurses eligible for the study in total, 90 completed the survey. The population consisted of COVID-designated unit nurses (n = 48, 53.33%) and non-COVID unit nurses (n = 42, 46.67%). Analysis between COVID-designated and non-COVID units revealed significantly lower mean compassion scores and significantly higher burnout and stress scores among those working within COVID-designated units. Despite higher levels of burnout and stress and lower levels of compassion, nurses identified protective factors that improved coping and described challenges they encountered. Palliative care clinicians used insights to design interventions to mitigate identified challenges and stressors.

Compassion and decision fatigue among healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic in a Colombian sample.

Being compassionate and empathic while making rational decisions is expected from healthcare workers across different contexts. But the daily challenges that these workers face, aggravated by the recent COVID-19 crisis, can give rise to compassion and decision fatigue, which affects not only their ability to meet these expectations but has a significant negative impact on their wellbeing. Hence, it is vital to identify factors associated to their exhaustion. Here, we sought to describe levels of compassion and decision fatigue during the pandemic, and to identify factors related to these forms of exhaustion. We collected data using self-reported questionnaires to measure compassion fatigue, decision fatigue, and grit in five intervals from April to November, 2020 (N = 856). Our results showed a negative correlation between grit and compassion and decision fatigue. We also found that under the circumstances studied grit tends to be higher in technicians, nurses, other professionals (psychologists, social workers), and workers at the Emergency Room (ER), and lower in general practitioners. Compassion fatigue tend to be higher for technicians, whereas decision fatigue was lower for specialists, general practitioners, and technicians, and higher for those working at private hospitals.

Emerging Resilience and Level of Compassion of Pediatric Emergency Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Several studies had explored compassion and resilience, however, most of these studies focused on the relationship between resilience and compassionate fatigue, or resilience and self-compassion. This study aimed to determine the level of emerging resilience and level of compassion of pediatric emergency nurses while caring for COVID 19 pediatric patients and the correlation between Compassion level and Emerging Resilience of nurses. Participants were 190 emergency nurses conducted in Pediatric Emergency Center COVID-19 facility. The study data were collected utilizing the questionnaire comprised of demographics, Compassionate Scale and Brief Resilience Scale. Statistically significant difference was found between the age variable of the nurses and “common humanity” sub-scale as well as years in service and sub-scale “Indifference items”. There was a significant difference between the education level of the nurses and their status of showing kindness to the patients (p &lt; .05). When the subscales were added together, there was no significant difference between the Compassionate Scale total score and the baseline characteristics of the nurses. In terms of Brief Resilience Scale, a mean score of 3.18 (±0.47) was found that showed the resilience level of the nurses as normal. Significant difference between educational status and brief resilience scale (p&lt;.05) was found. The level of compassion of the nurses was “moderate” and the Resilience was “normal resilient coping.” Nurses’ baseline data negatively predicted the level of compassion and the emerging resilience of Pediatric Emergency Nurses. There was no correlation between the Nurses’ Level of compassion with the Nurses’ level of resilience. Keywords: Compassion, Resilience, Compassion Fatigue, Child, Self-compassion, Covid-19

Compassion and burnout syndrome in medical students from the Colombian Caribbean coast

IntroductionCompassion is expected to be a characteristic present in medical students, since it is a key element in subsequent professional practice (Blanco et al., 2021). However, during the degree, students go through various demands that can generate burnout syndrome (Amor et al., 2020) and as a consequence a decrease in compassion. In this sense, it is important to provide empirical evidence on the possible relationship between these two constructs, in order to generate support that allows the implementation of mental health promotion strategies.ObjectivesAnalyze the relationship between compassion and burnout syndrome in medical students.MethodsThis study was done through a cross-sectional study of correlational scope in 250 medical students. The Compassion Scales developed by Gilbert (Gilbert et al., 2017) were used; they assess three general factors (Self-compassion, Compassion for others, and Compassion from others), However, in this study, we used only the self-compassion and compassion for others scales.ResultsThe results revealed a statistically significant, positive correlation between personal accomplishment and self-compassion. In the case of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, significant associations were also found with self-compassion and compassion for others, but of a negative magnitude (Table 1).Image:ConclusionsIt was concluded that the higher the levels of self-compassion of the medical students evaluated, the greater their personal fulfillment. On the other hand, the lower the levels of self-compassion and compassion for others, the higher levels of depersonalization and emotional exhaustion were found in medical studentsDisclosure of InterestNone Declared