Compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and self-care among child trauma

ABSTRACT

Child trauma counselors are at elevated risk for burnout, posing a legitimate concern for society as routine exposure to the trauma of others has been linked to clinical error, so finding ways to sustain counselor well-being is vital. The current study used the compassion fatigue-compassion satisfaction theory integrated with positivistic psychology constructs. The quantitative associative-correlational method explored relationships between the Professional Quality of Life-V (burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction) and self-care. In September of 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Qualtrics collected response data from volunteer participants recruited from certified Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral therapists (N = 295). The data was analyzed using a Spearman rank-order correlation. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between self-care and burnout (p < .01;correlation coefficient r = -.60) and between self-care and secondary traumatic stress (p < .01;correlation coefficient r = -0.21) while a significant positive correlation between self-care and compassion satisfaction (p < .01;correlation coefficient r = 0.50) was found. The results suggest that self-care enhances compassion satisfaction, serving as a buffer to burnout and secondary traumatic stress, affording worker resiliency. The study model recognized adjunctive factors related to positive outcomes encompassing personal resiliency, self-efficacy, individual empowerment, and intrinsic motivation for peak performance fueling the restorative, proactive self-care practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)