Predictors of burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction experienced by community health workers offering maternal and infant services in New York State

Abstract

Although burnout has been increasingly well studied among medical (nurses, physicians, residents) and mental health providers (psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers), there continues to be a lack of attention on the well‐being of community‐based providers, such as Community Health Workers (CHWs), within the United States. Using cross‐sectional data from 75 CHWs employed in 14 agencies funded through the Maternal and Infant Community Health Collaboratives Initiative (MICHC) in New York, our study examined predictors (anxiety, physical health, adverse childhood experiences, job satisfaction, role certainty, demographic and work characteristics) of burnout, compassion fatigue (CF) and compassion satisfaction (CS). Descriptive statistics were used to characterize our sample and linear regression was employed to investigate the correlates of burnout, CF and CS. Results indicated that CHWs with higher levels of anxiety and lower job satisfaction were more likely to have higher burnout scores. CHWs with higher levels of anxiety, lower job satisfaction and fewer days of poorer health were more likely to report higher CF. Those who worked more than 35 h per week were less likely to report higher CS. The study provides recommendations for organizational‐level interventions to address risk factors of burnout and CF and promote CS among CHWs, such as bolstering supervision, encouraging greater communication, offering recognition/appreciation of CHWs and creating opportunities for self‐care. Findings should be considered when designing organizational‐level preventive measures that mitigate burnout and CF and promote CS.

Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing an Evidence-Based Community Health Worker Model

“… There is growing literature on the importance of attending to CHW workforce needs, though much of this work has taken place outside the US . Given the very limited literature on burnout among US-based CHWs, more work is needed . Notably, health care professional burnout is a broader issue within the US, as highlighted in a recent advisory by the Office of the Surgeon General…”

“…42 Given the very limited literature on burnout among US-based CHWs, more work is needed. [43][44][45][46] Notably, health care professional burnout is a broader issue within the US, as highlighted in a recent advisory by the Office of the Surgeon General. 47 These findings can be leveraged to inform meaningful future research and policy work to support CHWs and maximize their contributions to public health.…”