Caregiver burnout, compassion satisfaction, and personality: The moderating role of work engagement and job satisfaction

ABSTRACT

Formal and informal caregivers experience both negative and positive aspects of caregiving, such as burnout and compassion satisfaction. However, the existing literature primarily focuses on the experiences of family caregivers and nurses, but neglects nursing assistants. This study examined the relationships among personality, burnout, compassion satisfaction, work engagement, and job satisfaction in a sample of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) employed in healthcare settings. Additionally, this study compared CNA data collected prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed self-report surveys measuring burnout, compassion satisfaction, personality factors, work engagement, job satisfaction, intent to quit, and demographics. Results indicated significant positive relationships between compassion satisfaction and agreeableness and extraversion, as well as between burnout and neuroticism. Significant negative relationships were found between burnout and agreeableness and extraversion, as well as between compassion satisfaction and neuroticism. Work engagement and job satisfaction were not found to moderate these relationships. CNAs who participated prior to the COVID-19 pandemic reported lower burnout and higher compassion satisfaction compared to CNAs who participated during the pandemic. However, there were no differences in job satisfaction or intent to quit. The current study provided novel information about CNA personality, burnout, compassion satisfaction, and levels of job satisfaction and work engagement. The findings may be useful in developing interventions for CNAs to bolster compassion satisfaction and decrease burnout to potentially reduce turnover rates. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)