Compassion fatigue is a condition characterized by emotional and physical exhaustion leading to a diminished ability to empathize or feel compassion for others, often described as the negative cost of caring. A feeling of distress caused by the suffering of another and the desire to alleviate it. The compassion satisfaction scale typically is skewed toward the positive side and the compassion fatigue trauma is skewed toward the absent side e. Compassion fatigue we have not been directly exposed to the trauma scene, but we hear the story told with such intensity, or we hear similar stories so. Gradual lessening of compassion for others and for self.
In its early form, the scs was hypothesized to be a threefactor scale that included selfkindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. The development and evaluation of a compassion scale. Cf, consistent with most common usage, is defined as the formal caregivers reduced capacity or interest in being empathic or bearing the suffering of clients and is the natural consequent behaviors and emotions resulting from knowing about a traumatizing event experienced or suffered by a person figley, 1995, p. Neff, 2003a was the first tool of its kind and specifically developed as a method by which individual differences in selfcompassion could be assessed. Compassion satisfaction and fatigue proqol version 5 2009.
Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized charles figley help for the helper. Add the numbers you wrote next to the items for each set of items and compare with the theoretical scores below. Translations of the scale should use recommendations made by neff, tothkiraly, et al. There are strategies and solutions both at the personal and at the organizational level. Circle the 10 items on the trauma compassion fatigue scale. Developmental history of the compassion fatigue and satisfaction test in c. Compassion fatigue model empathic ability empathic response residual compassion stress compassion fatigue concern sense of satisfaction traumatic memories exposure to suffering detachment prolonged exposure to trauma other life demands.
The final section discusses three factors in selecting a compassion fatigue measure. Burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic. Neff, 2003a was the first tool of its kind and specifically developed as a method by which individual differences in self compassion could be assessed. Transforming compassion fatigue into compassion satisfaction. Compassion satisfactionfatigue selftest for helpers. Some of the factors that can contribute to where you land include. Below are some questions about your experiences, both. Their levels of compassion fatigue were measured using the professional qualityoflife proqol nurse survey version 5, a 30item, empirically validated selfreport measure with good construct validity see the proqol nurse survey. The sprecher and fehrs compassionate love scale is a 21item scale for an attitude toward others that encompasses feelings, thinking, and behavior that focuses on caring, concerns, and support for others with a motivation to understand and help them when they are most in need.
Pdf this manuscript provides practitioners a gateway into understanding assessment instruments for compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is the profound emotional and physical exhaustion that helping professionals and caregivers can develop over the course of their career as helpers. Like burnout or any other stressrelated condition, compassion fatigue is not terminal. When you help people you have direct contact with their lives. Particularly notable is the free proqol scale pdf 268 kb and tools that can be selfadministered or used during a training or staff meeting to measure the normal positive and negative effects of helping others, categorized into compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress scales. Assign one of these numbers to each one of the questions below. Identify organizational and supervisory strategies for preventing and mitigating secondary traumatic stress. Available from chevron publishing corporation, 5018 dorsey hall drive, suite 104, ellicott city, md 21042.
Jun 09, 20 having a compassion fatigue scale to see where you land on the trajectory can be a helpful tool. The professional quality of life scale proqol is the current version of the. Please note that research is ongoing on this scale and the following scores. Compassion fatigue is a recent concept that refers to the emotional and physical exhaustion that can affect helping professionals and caregivers over time. Find time for yourself every day rebalance your workload 4. Free resources amanda rocheleau counselling and consulting. Differentiate between compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and vicarious. Compassion fatigue model empathic ability empathic response residual compassion stress compassion fatigue concern sense of satisfaction traumatic memories exposure to suffering detachment prolonged exposure to trauma other life demands the compassion fatigue process figley, 2001. The second part of the questionnaire, the professional quality of life scale proqol riv stamm, 19972005, is the latest version of the compassion fatigue test created by figley in 1995. Organizational strategies there are many simple and effective strategies that helpers can implement to protect themselves from compassion fatigue. Index of clinical stress abel, 1991 mission statement instructions. Compassion fatigue also carries sociological connotations, especially when used to analyse the behavior of mass donations in response to the media response to disasters. Compassion fatigue is a condition that occurs when caregivers are overwhelmed by stresses stemming from either the clinical or interpersonal components of their role.
Causes of compassion fatigue empathy empathy is generally defined as the identification with, and understanding of, anothers situation, feelings and motives. The association of american medical colleges offers a look at the state of compassion fatigue and burnout in the medical profession. Measuring compassion satisfaction as well as fatigue. The professional qualityoflife proqol nurse survey was used to measure the positive and negative aspects of caring and to identify elements of cf. Improve awareness of the various physiological and mental conditions that may contribute to the development of compassion fatigue 3. Higher scores on this scale represent a greater satisfaction related to your ability to be an effective caregiver in your job. To understand perceptions of compassion fatigue cf, including compassion satisfaction, burnout, and workrelated secondary traumatic stress in a random sampling of nurses from the authors healthcare facility methods. How much at risk you are of burnout and compassion fatigue and also the degree of.
The decreased capacity or inability to function normally because of excessive stimulation or prolonged exertion. The addition of the new items should reduce the known collinearity between compassion fatigue and burnout. Compassion satisfaction risk factors what foster parents care about professional quality of life scale personal values your personal compass art of selfcompassion learn to be present, open up, do what matters. Burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress. The proqol riv includes three subscales measuring compassion fatiguesecondary trauma cfst, burnout, and compassion satisfaction. Define secondary trauma and compassion fatigue, its causes and impacts. How much at risk you are of burnout and compassion fatigue and also the degree of satisfaction with your helping others. But people who have medical conditions like ms experience stronger feelings of fatigue more often and with greater impact than others. The proqol is the most commonly used measure of the negative and positive affects of helping others who experience suffering and trauma. According to the professional quality of life scale, burnout and secondary traumatic stress are two interwoven elements of.
Although burnout develops over time, compassion fatigue comes on suddenly. One measure of compassion fatigue is in the proqol, or professional quality of life scale. Its use with social workers following urban disaster. Provide strategies and practices that promote life balance and self care, leading to. Rofessional ife p quality of l scale proqol compassion satisfaction and fatigue version 5 stamm, 2009 when you help people you have direct contact with their lives. The scales generate distributions that are generally unimodal and symmetric figure 1. As you may have found, your compassion for those you help can affect you in positive and negative ways. The proqol has subscales for compassion satisfaction, burnout and compassion fatigue. Measuring compassion fatigue article pdf available in clinical social work journal 353. Top 12 selfcare tips for helpers by francoise mathieu, m. Treating compassion fatigue charles figley compassion fatigue. This selftest is not intended to provide medical advice. Circle the 10 items on the traumacompassion fatigue scale.
Please note that research is ongoing on this scale and the following scores should be used as a guide, not confirmatory information. This is an adapted version of the selfcompassion scale designed for early adolescents ages 1014. Compassion fatigue is a type of stress caused by caring for others. It has been associated with a gradual desensitization to patient stories, a decrease in quality care for. The compassion fatigue awareness project provides a life stress selftest and an empathy test to help readers see where they stand on the scale. An updated version of the proqol 5 selfscore measure is posted today. The professional quality of life scale proqol, that measures indicators of staff compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction, may be a helpful tool.
Watch for these signs, psychotherapist dennis portnoy classifies compassion fatigue as. Compassion fatigue educator training pretraining materials. If it turns out that you scored high on the compassion fatigue scale or any of the others, there is hope. Provide strategies and practices that promote life balance and self care, leading to positive change and compassion satisfaction. A mixed sample of student counsellors and student cognitive behavioural psychotherapists n 54. Applying evidenceinformed compassion fatigue techniques. Watch for these signs, psychotherapist dennis portnoy classifies compassion fatigue as a form of burnout. Pdf on nov 20, 2017, cr figley and others published compassion fatigue resilience find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Charles figley and compassion fatigue what is compassion fatigue v. Professional quality of life scale proqol compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue proqol version 5 2009 when you help people you have direct contact with their lives. Individuals affected by compassion fatigue are unable to deliver highest. This is particularly the compassion fatigue scale which has always had an alpha. The sprecher and fehrs compassionate love scale and the compassion scale were used in this study.
The compassion satisfaction scale typically is skewed toward the positive side and the compassion fatiguetrauma is skewed toward the. It is a gradual erosion of all the things that keep us connected to others in our caregiver role. Following is a list of statements that describe the effects of. Having a compassion fatigue scale to see where you land on the trajectory can be a helpful tool. Modified fatigue impact scale mfis fatigue is a feeling of physical tiredness and lack of energy that many people experience from time to time. Consider each of the following characteristics about you and your current situation. In order for clients to develop trust in veterinary practices, team members often show empathy. The term compassion fatigue is considered somewhat euphemistic.
An assessment answer the questions below to the best of your knowledge. Jun 22, 2015 compassion fatigue is a type of stress caused by caring for others. Pdf treating compassion fatigue charles r figley, brian. This self test helps you estimate your compassion status. This study supports the importance of compassion fatigue as a risk factor for social workers counseling traumatized clients and its association with psychological problems. Compassion satisfaction and fatigue proqol version 5 stamm, 2009 2. It is sometimes referred to as secondary traumatic stress sts.
1013 1130 717 1202 1072 776 447 575 195 253 517 947 1355 257 437 665 547 848 1140 1469 185 600 961 799 1302 1434 1136 959 1573 362 918 266 456 790 879 1504 326 302 966 767 532 880 1106 581 464 331