Investigating compassion fatigue and predictive factors in paediatric surgery nurses

• Published in: Nursing ethics Vol. 31; no. 5; pp. 845 - 858
• Main Authors: Kankaya, Eda Ayten, Özer Özlü, Nazife Gamze, Vural, Fatma
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-08-2024; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Adult; Burnout; Burnout, Professional - psychology; Burns units; Child & adolescent mental health; Compassion; Compassion Fatigue - etiology; Compassion Fatigue - psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Ethics; Fatigue; Female; Health status; Humans; Informed consent; Job performance; Job Satisfaction; Life satisfaction; Male; Medical ethics; Mental health; Middle Aged; Nurse led services; Nurses; Nurses - psychology; Nurses - statistics & numerical data; Nursing; Original Manuscripts; Patient satisfaction; Patients; Pediatric Nursing - methods; Pediatric Nursing - standards; Pediatrics; Perceived social support; Psychiatric nurses; Quality of care; Social support; Surgery; Surveys and Questionnaires; Sympathy; primary health practice; moral distress; compassion fatigue; paediatric surgery nurses; paediatric practice; clinical ethics
• ISSN: 0969-7330; 1477-0989; 1477-0989
• DOI: 10.1177/09697330231209283

Background
Nurses provide care to meet the complex needs of patients in the increasing workload in the health system and are at risk of compassion fatigue. The concept of compassion fatigue has begun drawing attention in the last decade, as it negatively affects nurses' physical and mental health, job performance and satisfaction, and therefore patient care quality.
Objectives
This study was to examine compassion fatigue and predictive factors in paediatric surgery nurses.
Participants and research context
The study was cross-sectional, predictive and quantitative. It was conducted with the 135 paediatric surgery nurses. The data were sent to the email addresses of the members via Google Survey. Research data were collected with the Nurse Information Form, Compassion Fatigue Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale and Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale.
Ethical considerations
After obtaining the approval of the University’s ethics committee, the study was carried out after obtaining participants’ informed written and verbal consent.
Results
There was a difference between the level of compassion fatigue according to the paediatric surgery unit that worked the longest and the thought of changing their profession. Burn unit nurses and nurses who were considering changing professions have higher compassion fatigue scores. When the predictors of compassion fatigue were examined, the thought of changing the nursing profession and life satisfaction were significant predictors of compassion fatigue. The thought of changing the nursing profession and life satisfaction explained 22% of compassion fatigue. The same variables and the longest working period of the paediatric surgery unit were the estimators of the level of occupational burnout; explaining 29% of occupational burnout.
Conclusions
Compassion fatigue, life satisfaction and perceived social support of paediatric surgery nurses are moderate. Compassion fatigue is affected by working time, the thought of changing the profession, life satisfaction and perceived social support.