Examining Self-Protection Measures Guarding Adult Protective Services Social Workers Against Compassion Fatigue

Bourassa, D.

doi:10.1177/0886260511430388

Cited by 24 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…However, due to the nature of their work, adult/elder protective service and child protective service workers are at-risk for experiencing various negative psychological effects (e.g. compassion fatigue or STS; Bourassa, 2012;Kim, 2011). Therefore, the current study examined the rates of VT, STS, and burnout in adult/elder protective service and child protective service workers, specifically assessing the effect of PIL on these outcomes, irrespective of hours worked per week, ethnicity, and participants' years of experience.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, interventions to reduce these negative effects in social workers should be implemented; yet, numerous interventions (e.g. "thought engagement" or crisis debriefing, Bourassa, 2012;Pulido & Lacina, 2010, respectively) have found few long-term benefits (Pulido & Lacina, 2010) or have not yet been adapted for use with adult/elder protective service workers. Additionally, there have been protective factors (e.g.…”

Section: Common Psychological Responses For Protective Service Workersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reducing burnout, vicarious trauma, and secondary traumatic stress through investigating purpose in life in social workers

Singer

Cummings

Moody

et al. 2019

Journal of Social Work

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Summary Social workers fulfill vital roles, servicing clients from vulnerable populations and maintaining their welfare. As a result of frequent interaction with clients who have often experienced trauma, these workers are susceptible to experiencing burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and vicarious trauma. This study aimed to identify if purpose in life is a protective factor for adult/elder protective services (AEPS) and child protective services (CPS) workers. A comprehensive search of AEPS and CPS agencies resulted in more than 500 agencies throughout the United States. Three multiple regressions were run, with purpose in life as the independent variable, controlling for social workers’ years of experience, ethnicity, average of number of hours worked per week. Findings A sample of 292 participants ranging in age from 18 to 58 years of age, with a mean age of 42.03(12.34), participated in this study. Of the 292 social workers, 126 reported being CPS workers and 166 reported being AEPS workers. In all three linear regressions, higher purpose in life resulted in lower rates of vicarious trauma ( F(3, 263)=10.364, p<.001), secondary traumatic stress ( F(3, 263)=16.548, p<.001), and burnout ( F(3, 263)= 23.912, p<.001) when controlling for number of hours worked per week and years of experience. The amount of variance explained by these models ranged from 11 to 21%. Post hoc correlations between study variables were conducted, including the association between purpose in life and CS. Applications This study provides evidence necessary to warrant an intervention for protective services workers, specifically targeted toward increasing purpose in life.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Common Psychological Responses For Protective Service Workersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing burnout, vicarious trauma, and secondary traumatic stress through investigating purpose in life in social workers

Singer

Cummings

Moody

et al. 2019

Journal of Social Work

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Based on Figley's (1995) research, "Compassion fatigue can be manifested in the physiological, psychological, spiritual, and emotional issues that people who have posttraumatic stress disorder also experience" (as cited in Bourassa, 2012Bourassa, , p. 1700. Though the compassion-fatigued caregiver is not directly experiencing a primary traumatic event, he or she is constantly being exposed to the trauma and stress of others in his or her caregiver role, thereby experiencing what some call secondary traumatic stress.…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Preventing and Alleviating Compassion Fatigue Through Self-Care: An Educational Workshop for Nurses

Adimando

2017

J Holist Nurs

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Though various authors have refined and described the concept of compassion fatigue (CF), the overarching features, predisposing factors, and potential consequences remain relatively consistent. Available literature demonstrates that caregivers caring for patients who are chronically ill and/or traumatized are at highest risk for developing CF. Potential consequences for unmitigated CF include physical, emotional, and work-related consequences, all of which can have negative effects on the quality and safety of care and degree of engagement with one's employer. CF is further exacerbated by exposure to cumulative, unresolved stress and neglect of one's own emotional needs over time. Caregivers must be knowledgeable on CF's risk factors, symptoms, and management strategies to decrease its incidence and negative impacts. This article details the creation, execution, and evaluation of an evidence-based practice change project implemented with the goal of increasing knowledge needed to prevent, identify, and alleviate CF in high-risk nurses. The project involved a series of educational workshops containing information on CF's risk factors, symptoms, and consequences, with a strong emphasis on self-awareness, self-care, and stress management. Pre- and postknowledge tests showed a significant increase in knowledge was achieved via the workshops, and qualitative surveys indicated a high level of participant satisfaction with the program contents, format, and impact.

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“…These implications were reminiscent of a phenomenon described in the literature as compassion fatigue (Adams, Boscarino, & Figley, 2006;Austin, Goble, Leier, & Byrne, 2009;Bourassa, 2012;Figley, 2002;Najjar, Davis, Beck-Coon, & Carney Doebbeling, 2009). Studies on family violence and sexual abuse showed that following repeated exposure to traumatic content over time and the empathic relationship that developed during the therapeutic process, social service professionals might experience emotional fatigue related to compassion toward their clients' suffering.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Social Workers’ Reflections on the Therapeutic Encounter With Elder Abuse and Neglect

Goldblatt

Band‐Winterstein

Alon

2016

J Interpers Violence

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The aim of this qualitative study was to explore social workers' reflections on their experience of the therapeutic encounter with victims and perpetrators of elder abuse and neglect. The research questions were as follows: How do social workers tune themselves toward the therapeutic encounter with elder abuse? How do they position themselves vis-à-vis the clients? How do social workers describe the meaning of the intervention both for the clients and for themselves? What is the added value of the therapeutic encounter in this field for the social workers? Participants were 17 experienced women social workers, who worked with abusers and with abused and neglected older adults in Israel. Data were collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews, which were later transcribed and content analyzed. Two main themes emerged from the findings, emphasizing two key aspects of the social workers' reflective process experienced during the therapeutic encounter: (a) focus on the client: "This is the journey of their lives"-reflection on the therapeutic "journey"; (b) focus on the social worker's inner and professional world: "'There is nothing to be done' is no longer in my vocabulary"-a personal and professional maturation process. The social workers expressed a positive attitude toward their elder clients. A unique dialogue developed in the therapeutic encounter, whereby the social workers considered any change as valuable if it allowed the elders a sense of control and self-worth, whereas the social workers were enriched by the elders' life experience, and matured both personally and professionally. Thus, both sides benefited from this reciprocal relationship. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.

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Examining Self-Protection Measures Guarding Adult Protective Services Social Workers Against Compassion Fatigue

Cited by 24 publications

References 27 publications

Reducing burnout, vicarious trauma, and secondary traumatic stress through investigating purpose in life in social workers

Reducing burnout, vicarious trauma, and secondary traumatic stress through investigating purpose in life in social workers

Preventing and Alleviating Compassion Fatigue Through Self-Care: An Educational Workshop for Nurses

Social Workers’ Reflections on the Therapeutic Encounter With Elder Abuse and Neglect

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