FATIGUE DE COMPASSION, FATIGUE DE DIVERSITÉ: l’œuf ou la poule?

Abstract

Intervention in intercultural contexts requires a number of skills related to understanding the client's personal situation and life course, and the ability to define an intervention plan adapted to this situation. While intervention in intercultural contexts requires much listening and empathy, some organizational contexts can, on the contrary, induce hostile feelings towards cultural diversity. Based on a qualitative study conducted in Quebec (Canada) in the Greater Montreal area, this article aims to highlight the systemic issues involved in understanding the rehabilitation and return-to-work issues associated with Canadian immigrant workers in the Greater Montreal area who receive compensation following an employment injury. The study involved 40 individuals: work-injured immigrant workers (n=9), employers (n=2), and various rehabilitation professionals (n=29). It proposes a hypothesis for better understanding the phenomenon of the genesis and reinforcement of ethnocultural prejudices in the health care sector, a hypothesis that could explain the emergence of compassion fatigue or diversity fatigue among rehabilitation professionals, and the possible causal link between these two types of fatigue. The authors of the article argue that this causal link (the chicken or the egg dilemma) can only be understood through a broader and systemic understanding of the intervention context and the managerial practices that govern professional practice and skill development.