Psychotherapists are often required to provide a high degree of care to clients which can result in physical and psychological complaints often referred to as compassion fatigue. The aim of this cross sectional study was to determine the relationships between demographic characteristics and compassion fatigue among psychotherapists. The Professional Quality of Life 5 and a Demographic Data sheet were completed by 207 psychotherapists. Data analysis was done using Pearson’s Chi Square test and Fisher’s exact test. The statistical hypotheses were tested at the significance level of p ? .05. The results of this study revealed that there was no sufficient evidence from the data to link gender and age to high or low level of compassion fatigue. The results further revealed that there were progression trends in which compassion fatigue decreased with increase in the psychotherapists’ years of practice. The study concluded that all psychotherapists regardless of gender and age may be similarly capable of handling the stressors that a career as a psychotherapist entails. However, the results showed that working experience may be a starting point for explaining compassion fatigue among psychotherapists.
Abendroth, M., & Flannery, J. (2006). Predicting the risk of compassion fatigue: A Study of hospice nurses. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, 8(6), 346–356.
Adams, K. B., Boscarino, J. A., & Figley, C. R. (2006). Compassion fatigue and psychological distress among social workers: A validation study. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(1), 103-108.
Adams, R. E., Boscarino, J. A., & Figley, C. R. (2004). Compassion fatigue and psychological distress among social workers: A Validation Study. New York: The New York Academy of Medicine.
Augusto-Landa, J. M., Martos, M. P., & López-Zafra, E. (2010). Social Behavior and Personality, 38(6), 783-794.
Bourassa, D. A. (2009). Compassion fatigue and the adult protective services social worker. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 52 (3), 215-229.
Bourassa, D. A. (2009). Compassion fatigue and the adult protective services social worker. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 52 (3), 215-229.
Bride, B. E., Hatcher, S. S., & Humble, M. N. (2009). Trauma training, trauma practices, and secondary traumatic stress among substance abuse counsellors. Traumatology, 15 (2), 96-105.
Burtson, P. L., Stichler, J. F. (2010). Nursing work environment and nurse caring: relationship among motivational factors. J Adv Nurs. 66(8):1819-1831.
Figley, C. R. (1995). Compassion fatigue as secondary stress disorder: an overview. Compassion fatigue: coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized (1-20). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Flarity, K. (2011). Compassion fatigue. ENA Connection, 35(7), 10.
Gleichgerrcht, E., & Decety, J. (2013). Empathy in clinical practice: How individual dispositions, gender, and experience moderate empathic concern, burnout and emotional distress in physicians. PLoS ONE, 8(4), 19-32.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0061526
Hatcher, R., & Noakes, S. (2010). Working with sex offenders: the impact on Australian treatment providers. Psychology, Crime & Law, 16, 145-167.
Howell, J., Falkenbach D., & Massey C. (2012). The relationship among psychopathy, emotional intelligence, and professional success in finance. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health. Volume 13, Issue 4, Pages 337-347.
Huggard, P., & Dixon, R. (2011). "Tired of Caring": The impact of caring on resident doctors. Australasian Journal of Disaster & Trauma Studies, 2011(3), 105-111.
Hunsaker, S. K. (2013). Identifying Factors that Influence Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction in Emergency Department Nurses. Utah Valley University
Iliffe, G., & Steed, L. G. (2000). Exploring the counsellor’s experience of working with perpetrators and survivors of domestic violence. Journal of interpersonal violence, 15(4), 393-412.
Jacobson, J. M. (2005). Compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout among employee assistance counsellors. occupational stress in social work. SSWR Website. Retrieved August 17, 2014 from H Ttp://Www.Sswr.Org.Za/Art.Htm
Killian, K. D. (2008). Helping till it Hurts? A Multimethod study of compassion fatigue, burnout, and self-care in clinicians working with trauma survivors. Traumatology, 14 (2), 32-44.
Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (2007). Therapy work and therapists’ positive and negative well-being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology,26 (3), 385-403.
Meyers, T., & Cornille, T. (2002). The trauma of working with traumatized children. In C. Figley (Ed
Miller, D. (2000). Dying to care? Work, stress and burnout in HIV/ AIDS. London: Routledge.
Miller, D. (2000). Dying to care? Work, stress and burnout in HIV/ AIDS. London: Routledge.
Munroe, J., Shay, J., Fisher, L., Makary, C., Rapperport, K., and Zimering, R. (1995). Preventing compassion fatigue: A team treatment model.’ In C. Figley (ed) Compassion Fatigue: Coping with Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder in those who treat the traumatised. Brunner/Mazel, Inc. Philadelphia
Sacco, T. L., Ciurzynski, S. M., Harvey, M. E., Ingersoll, G. L. (2015). Compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue among critical care nurses. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4037/ccn2015392
Simpson, L. R. (2005). Level of Spirituality as a Predictor of the Occurrence of Compassion Fatigue among Counselling Professionals in Mississippi. University of Mississippi
Simpson, L. R. (2005). Level of Spirituality as a Predictor of the Occurrence of Compassion Fatigue among Counselling Professionals in Mississippi. University of Mississippi
Sprang, G., Clark, J. J., & Whitt-Woosley, A. (2007). Compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction and burnout: Factors impacting a professional’s quality of life. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 12, 259-280.
Sprang, G., Craig, C., And Clark, J. (2011). Secondary traumatic stress and burnout in child welfare workers: a comparative analysis of occupational distress across professional groups. Child Welfare, Vol. 90, No. 6, 149–168.
Stamm, B. H. (1997). Work-related secondary traumatic stress. PTSD Research Quarterly, 8,2. (http://www.ncptsd.org/publications/rq/rq-lrst.html
Stamm, B.H. (2010). The Concise Proqol Manual, 2nd Ed. Pocatello, ID: Proqol.Org
Thompson, I., Amatea, E., & Thompson, E. (2014). Personal and contextual predictors of mental health counsellors’ compassion fatigue and burnout. Journal of Mental Health Counselling, 36, 58-77.
Thompson, I., Amatea, E., & Thompson, E. (2014). Personal and contextual predictors of mental health counsellors’ compassion fatigue and burnout. Journal of Mental Health Counselling, 36, 58-77.
Van Hook, M. P. (2008). Quality of life and compassion satisfaction/fatigue and burnout in child welfare workers: A study of the child welfare workers in community based care organizations in central Florida. NACSW Convention: Orlando, FL
Vink, P., Pham, P., Stover, E., & Weinstein, H. (2007). Exposure to war crimes and implication for peace building in northern Uganda. Journal of American Medical Association , 298 , 543–54. doi:10.1001/jama.298.5.543
Way, I., VanDeusen, K. M., Martin, G., Applegate, B., & Jandle, D. (2004). Vicarious trauma: A comparison of clinicians who treat survivors of sexual abuse and sexual offenders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 19(1), 49-71. doi:10.1177/0886260503259050
Zeidner, M., Hadar, D., Matthews G., & Roberts, R. D. (2013): Personal factors related to compassion fatigue in health professionals, Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal, DOI:10.1080/10615806.2013.777045
In-Text Citation: (Amir, Stephen, & George, 2016)
To Cite this Article: Amir, K., Stephen, M., & George, M. (2016). Compassion Fatigue: A Study of Psychotherapists’ Demographics in Northern Uganda. International Journal of Academic Research in Psychology. 3(1), 137-147.
Copyright: © 2016 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
