Compassion as a Source of Satisfaction and Fear in Professionals Who Work With People

Abstract

Background Compassion satisfaction and fear of compassion affect the mental health of professionals who work with people. In addition, each of these two variables can be important indicators of the quality of the services such professionals provide. Methods This study examines compassion as a source of satisfaction and fear among 293 professionals work with people, including 158 teachers, 57 police officers, 45 nurses and 44 imams. A personal information form, the Fear of Compassion Scale, and the Compassion Satisfaction Scale were used as data collection tools. Results Neither fear of compassion nor compassion satisfaction varied significantly according to the sampled professionals’ genders, educational levels, monthly incomes or area of residence. However, both these measures did exhibit statistically significant variation by the respondents’ professional roles, ages, numbers of children and marital statuses. A significant negative relationship between the participants’ fear of compassion and their compassion satisfaction was also identified. Conclusion Courses related to kindness and social interaction should be provided in schools, to help the adults of the future.

The Relationship Between Secondary Traumatic Stress and Compassion Satisfaction: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Stamm (2010) identified a high CS, high STS pattern that is evident in clinicians who are at high risk for adverse outcomes but are still highly effective as professionals because they believe their work is meaningful. Even so, there is evidence that CS can be paired with a strong fear response (aka fear of satisfaction) due to clinicians’ high engagement with clients that can increase their exposure to traumatic material (Sak et al, 2023; Stamm, 2010). Interestingly, the Bridger et al (2020) finding suggests that higher CS is indicative of greater role engagement, noting the strongest predictor of CS in their study was empathic connection with clients.…”

Psychological Hardiness and Compassion Satisfaction Among the Turkish Red Crescent: The Case of 2023 Kahramanmaras Earthquake

“…Compassion involves feeling empathy and providing psychosocial support to those in need, and compassion satisfaction reflects an individual's positive emotions and a sense of fulfillment from helping others. 13,14 There are studies in literature emphasizing the connection between compassion satisfaction and psychological hardiness. 15 Developing environments that promote psychological hardiness in disaster situations and support compassion satisfaction is vital for achieving positive outcomes in a condition that may not always be conducive to these factors.…”