Helping till it hurts? A multimethod study of compassion fatigue, burnout, and self-care in clinicians working with trauma survivors.

Abstract

become increasingly evident that the psychological effects of traumatic events, such as childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, catastrophes, war, and terrorism, reach beyond those directly affected (Bride, 2007). This is an important area of investigation because healthy, psychologically present, and committed professionals are in a better position to offer assistance to trauma survivors than those providers who suffer from symptoms of compassion fatigue and burnout. Drawing from descriptive and numerical data, this study first explores the experiences and perceptions of clinicians working with trauma survivors-their recognition of symptoms of job stress, their identification of resources that enhance their resilience, and their discussion of specific strategies for professional self-care. Second, using crosssectional data, the study examines the significant roles played by social support, work environment, emotional self-awareness, and trauma history in therapists' reported levels of compassion satisfaction, fatigue, and burnout. Implications of this study for organizational policy, and the way we think about coping strategies, are also presented. L ocal and global events have raised our collective consciousness about how traumatic events like the September 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina affect specific communities ("Ground Zero" in Manhattan, New Orleans) and specific populations (e.g., fire fighters, police, service workers, military personnel, and their families). For example, a few studies have examined the efficacy of service delivery to those hardest hit by the 9/11 attacks (Figley, 2002). A less studied phenomenon is the impact of extended exposure to traumatized populations on helping professionals providing such services (Adams, Boscarino, & Figley, 2006). It has There is burgeoning interest in secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and self-care in the helping professions. This multimethod study focused on therapists' stress and coping in their work with trauma survivors, identifying factors related to resilience and burnout. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 20 clinicians subscribing to a systems perspective, and 104 clinicians were administered a questionnaire inquiring about their caseloads, trauma history, coping styles, emotional self-awareness, work stress, compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Interview data demonstrated that therapists detect job stress through bodily symptoms, mood changes, sleep disturbances, becoming easily distracted, and increased difficulty concentrating. Self-care strategies included processing with peers/supervisor, spirituality, exercise, and spending time with family. In the quantitative study, social support, work hours, and internal locus of control accounted for 41% of the variance in compassion satisfaction. Multiple regression procedures accounted for 54% of the variance in compassion fatigue and 74% of the variance in burnout. Implications for clinical training and organizational policy are discussed.

BREATHE: A Pilot Study of a One-Day Retreat to Reduce Burnout Among Mental Health Professionals

“…Burnout effects can also spill over to life outside of work, with burned out mental health workers reporting more strain on personal relationships (5), poorer health and somatic complaints (6), and mental health concerns, such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse (3). Burnout can also have a negative impact on employers—and ultimately consumers—with increased employee sick days and turnover and decreased empathy, continuity of care, productivity, and effectiveness.…”

Intrapsychic Correlates of Professional Quality of Life: Mindfulness, Empathy, and Emotional Separation

“…Although empathy is commonly assumed a critical factor in effective helping, empathy without sufficient emotional separation may place helpers at higher risk of secondary-stress reactions (Decety & Lamm, 2006;Figley, 2002a;Rothschild, 2006). According to Figley (2002b), compassion fatigue is the most recent term used to describe the evolving concept of secondary traumatic stress associated with -the cost of caring.‖ Strong theoretical support has suggested the presence of compassion fatigue and other secondary-stress disorders compromise both the empathic connection and the therapeutic relationship between service provider and client (Conrad & Kellar-Guenther, 2006;Killian, 2008;Radey & Figley, 2007;Valent, 2002). The focus of a growing body of research has been on understanding the factors that have the potential to influence the relationship between secondary traumatic-stress disorders, empathy, and the therapeutic relationship.…”

İkincil Travmatik Stres

“…Salston ve Figley (2003), düzenli ve sağlıklı beslenme ve hoşlanılan etkinliklere katılma ya da uğraşlarının olmasının meslek elemanlarının bireysel olarak alabilecekleri önlemler arasında olduğunu vurgulamıştır. Diğer bilim adamlarına göre ise yeterli düzeyde fiziksel egzersiz, gevşeme egzersizleri, aile ve yakın çevreden sosyal desteği de içeren kişisel bakıma sahip olmak ve kişisel etkinlikler ile profesyonel etkinlikler arasında sağlıklı bir denge kurulması meslek elemanlarının göz önünde bulundurabilecekleri adımlardır (Saakvitne 2002, Killian 2008. Whitfield ve Kanter (2014), yardım ilişkisinde bulunulan bireylerin travmasıyla ilişkili olan düşünce ve duyguların gözetilmesi ve gerek duyulduğunda meslektaş desteği ve paylaşmaya ek olarak, gerektiğinde profesyonel yardım alınmasının önemine vurgu yapmışlardır.…”