Mediation Effects of Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue in the Relationships Between Resilience and Anxiety or Depression Among Hospice Volunteers

Abstract

Hospice volunteers are a high-risk group for anxiety and depression owing to their frequent exposure to patients at the end of life and their subsequent deaths. Resilience is known to be a powerful factor that affects the occurrence of anxiety and depression; however, research on this subject is scarce. We investigated the relationship of resilience with anxiety or depression in hospice volunteers. A total of 145 volunteers were included in the analysis. Participants completed self-reported scales, including the Korean version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Professional Quality of Life Scale version 5. Pearson correlation coefficients were analyzed to identify the relationship of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue with anxiety or depression. A PROCESS macro mediation analysis was used to investigate the mediation effects of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue on the relationship between resilience and anxiety or depression. There were significant associations of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue with anxiety and depression. The relationship between resilience and anxiety/depression was mediated by compassion fatigue, which had indirect effects on anxiety and depression. Efforts to reduce compassion fatigue and increase resilience could help prevent anxiety and depression in hospice volunteers.

Resilience as a mediator between compassion fatigue, nurses' work outcomes, and quality of care during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In other words, resilience reduced the negative effect of CF on frontline nurses' job satisfaction and turnover intention, confirming its protective role against various mental and psychological consequences of stress-provoking events including disasters and disease outbreaks ( Labrague, 2021 ). This finding accords with previous studies that identified adequate resilience along with work engagement as a strong precursor of decreased CF among frontline nurses ( Cao & Chen, 2020 ; Cho & Jung, 2014 ) across different specializations, including those in critical care units, burn wards, and emergency departments ( Alharbi et al, 2020a , Alharbi et al, 2020b , Alharbi et al, 2020c ; Jo, Na, & Jung, 2020 ; Tseng, Shih, Shen, Ho, & Wu, 2018 ). Similarly, in a study involving medical and emergency health personnel in Italy ( Maiorano et al, 2020 ), personal resources including coping, resilience, and hardiness were found to yield protective effects against the impact of the pandemic by reducing CF levels.…”

Compassion fatigue, burnout, compassion satisfaction and depression among emergency department physicians and nurses: a cross-sectional study

“…The current study shows that compassion satisfaction has a significant positive correlation with depression and compassion fatigue has a significant negative correlation with depression, which is not consistent with other recent studies. Jo et al and Hegney et al both found an opposite association, that is, compassion satisfaction was negatively associated with depression and compassion fatigue was positively correlated with depression 43 44. The reason for this may include differences in measurement tools.…”

“…Jo et al and Hegney et al both found an opposite association, that is, compassion satisfaction was negatively associated with depression and compassion fatigue was positively correlated with depression. 43 44 The reason for this may include differences in measurement tools. Interestingly, an association analysis showed that burnout was significantly related to depression, a finding similar to that of a survey of emergency physicians.…”

Investigation of psychological factors related to compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction among nurses

“…Both affect mental health [ 18 , 23 , 24 ] and physical health [ 18 ]. Previous studies have found a positive correlation between anxiety and depression and a positive correlation between burnout and compassion fatigue [ 22 , 46 ]. A negative correlation was found between burnout and job satisfaction [ 47 , 48 ].…”