Caring for the carers: The influence of stress, burnout, and experiences of compassion on educational psychologists’ work-based motivations.

Abstract

This study investigated the constructs of Compassion Satisfaction, Compassion Fatigue, Work-based Stress, and Burnout among EPs, aiming to understand their impact on the motivations (thoughts and actions) toward changes in working practices and contexts. The paper also introduces Compassion Fatigue/Satisfaction to the field of educational psychology, which has been extensively studied in other helping professions but still needs to be explored in the EP field. The multi-dimensional nature of the role of compassion in caring professional practice is explored. A cross-sectional descriptive design study asked 201 EP participants to complete a range of measures relating to the focus variables, capturing working-life contexts, patterns, and work-based motivations. The findings revealed that EPs experience higher levels of Compassion Satisfaction and Burnout, while Compassion Fatigue remains relatively low. Work-based stress was primarily attributed to a lack of control and autonomy rather than workload pressures. Burnout emerged as a significant predictor of motivations to seek a different job/career, explore alternative options, or make changes within the EP role. These findings contribute to understanding EPs' working-life experiences and offer insights into the factors influencing their motivations and well-being, paralleling similar findings in the teaching profession. The results highlight the importance of addressing work-related stress and burnout to support EPs and enhance professional practices and how compassion satisfaction may be harnessed as a mediating variable.