Palliative Care Professionals' Inner Life: Exploring the Mediating Role of Self-Compassion in the Prediction of Compassion Satisfaction, Compassion Fatigue, Burnout and Wellbeing.

CONTEXT: Palliative care professionals are exposed to suffering on a daily basis. Working in such an environment frequently raises existential issues, psychological challenges, and emotional distress, that can detract from compassionate care. Identifying factors that help professionals cope with frequent exposure to issues related to mortality, such as compassion, could enhance palliative care providers' and patients' quality of life and wellbeing. OBJECTIVES: To improve our understanding of the factors associated with professionals' inner life studying the role of self-compassion as a mediating variable between self-care and awareness and professionals' quality of life, and quantifying the impact of compassionate care. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey of palliative care professionals was conducted through the Spanish Society of Palliative Care. 296 professionals answered the survey. RESULTS: The model tested showed an adequate fit (χ2(212) = 476.688 (P < .001), CFI = .907, RMSEA = .066 [.058,.073], and SRMR = .068), and the hypotheses were supported. Self-care and awareness predicted coping with death and self-compassion, which in turn predicted professional quality of life. Self-compassion had the greatest predictive power. Professional quality of life showed a statistically significant and positive effect on personal wellbeing, explaining more than 50% of its variance (R2 = .574; P < .001). CONCLUSION: For palliative care professionals, the cultivation of self-compassion is equally needed as compassion for others. Professional quality of life and compassionate care are related to professionals' wellbeing: when professionals take care of themselves, this will lead in a more compassionate care, but also in healthier, happier professionals.

Development and validation of the Short Professional Quality of Life Scale based on versions IV and V of the Professional Quality of Life Scale.

BACKGROUND: This research presents a short version of the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale, one of the most frequently used questionnaires in the arena of applied healthcare investigation. It measures burnout (BO), compassion fatigue (CF), and compassion satisfaction (CS). METHODS: A 9-item version of the ProQOL was developed. In Study 1, this short version, which used items from version IV of the ProQOL, was administered to 817 palliative care professionals from Spain, Argentina, and Brazil. In Study 2, the same nine items, but this time from version V of the ProQOL, were administered to 296 Spanish palliative care professionals. RESULTS: Study 1: The Short ProQOL showed an adequate internal structure, and invariance across the countries studied (χ2(106) = 185.620 (p < 0.001), CFI = .929, RMSEA = 0.058 [0.044, 0.072], SRMR = 0.081). Argentinians showed higher levels of BO (mean difference = 0.172, p = 0.042, Cohen's d = 0.168), whereas Brazilians showed higher levels of CF (Mean difference = 0.384, p = 0.002, Cohen's d = 0.352). Study 2: the Short ProQOL again showed adequate internal structure and reliability (χ2(24) = 134.504 (p < 0.001); CFI = 0.953; RMSEA = 0.126 [0.106, 0.147]; SRMR = 0.063), and was related to coping with death, self-compassion, and self-care. CONCLUSIONS: The Short ProQOL could help facilitate the application of harmonizing measurements and its use for cross-cultural comparisons and occupational health monitoring was satisfactory.