Compassion –Fatigue and Satisfaction: The Stress Buffering Effects of Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for Mental Health Professionals

Mental health professionals have a propensity to become secondarily affected by the suffering of their clients, which in turn may negatively impact their psychological wellbeing and increase their propensity to develop negative conditions, such as compassion fatigue. Barnett, Baker, Elman, and Schoener (2007) identified the incorporation of self-care practices as an ethical imperative for practicing clinicians in order to combat these negative effects and promote more effective counseling practice. Nonetheless, mental health professionals, both experienced and in training, struggle to incorporate and practice self-care. In light of this, wellness efforts and techniques are essential to promote clinicians’ self-care and stress management, in order to foster compassion satisfaction and decrease the susceptibility for compassion fatigue. The current study explored the role of mindfulness and self-compassion, as two constructs that may buffer against the impact of perceived stress on compassion fatigue and enhance compassion satisfaction. The results demonstrated that compassion satisfaction was highest among participants who endorsed higher mindfulness regardless of stress level. The observing subscale of mindfulness was associated with greater compassion fatigue, while the describing subscale of mindfulness buffered against the development of compassion fatigue. In contrast, although self-compassion was negatively associated with stress, compassion fatigue, and positively associated with compassion satisfaction there was not a significant moderating relationship between stress, self compassion, and compassion fatigue and satisfaction. There were also differences observed between trainees and experienced mental health professionals on aspects of mindfulness and self-compassion.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Counseling Psychology (UMKC)

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Missouri--Kansas City

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• Schaafsma, Jennifer Lynn

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Barber, Carolyn E.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10355/64168

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/64168