The Impact of Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction on Social Work Students

Resilience as a moderator of stress and burnout: A study of women social workers in India

“…This corroborates the long-standing notion seen in the literature that underscores the relationship among these variables as manifested in social work practitioners (Dollard, 2003;Lloyd et al, 2002). It has been held that conflict between individual and organisational demands resulting in a reduced sense of achievement and accomplishment generates burnout over long periods of employment (Harr et al, 2014).…”

“…In terms of the professional quality of life assessed in this study, the majority of respondents were low on 'Compassion Fatigue' and scored high for 'Compassion Satisfaction'. This is a positive finding as compassion satisfaction can help to mitigate the negative impact of compassion fatigue experienced by social workers (Harr, Brice, Riley and Moore, 2014). Compassion fatigue in social workers tends to occur as a result of vicarious exposure to the suffering of clients that they interact with and can result in experiencing a reduced capacity for empathy (Adams, Boscarino, and Figley, 2006).…”

“…Compassion fatigue in social workers tends to occur as a result of vicarious exposure to the suffering of clients that they interact with and can result in experiencing a reduced capacity for empathy (Adams, Boscarino, and Figley, 2006). Compassion satisfaction has also been found to mediate the negative effects of compassion fatigue and burnout and is a potential protective factor for mental health (Harr et al, 2014).…”

“…This has resulted in a lack of proper screening to ascertain whether students with the right kind of aptitude for social work, awareness of the rigour and realities of practice and the necessary resilience are being inducted into the profession. A robust screening procedure during student intake is hence crucial in order to ascertain an applicant’s resilience and awareness of the demands of the profession (Harr et al, 2014) and to ensure that square pegs are not being forcibly fit into round holes. The onus is also on academia in terms of imparting current knowledge and skills, but also ensuring that potential social workers are in tune with the realities of practice and preparing them to deal with stressors and vicarious trauma that they are likely to encounter.…”

A comprehensive review of compassion fatigue in pre-licensure health students: antecedents, attributes, and consequences

“…In a meta-analysis of age and BO, researchers found a significant inverse relationship between age and emotional exhaustion as a component of BO; however, the magnitude of the relationship was very small ( r = −0.46, p < 0.05) and was mediated by other variables that included gender, marital status, professional experience, sense of personal accomplishment, and whether-or-not the survey was conducted in English (Gómez-Urquiza et al 2017 ). This research suggests that younger individuals may rate more highly on depression and CF due to lower levels of maturity, less life experience, and difficulty navigating strenuous life circumstances as a student (Harr et al 2014 ).…”