November 15, 2022

Compassion Fatigue: Not Just a Challenge for Healthcare Workers

By Gabriela Murza, Professional Practice Extension Assistant Professor, Health and Wellness/HEART Initiative

Nurse with Patient

Compassion Fatigue (CF) is often talked about with healthcare workers, but anyone can experience it, especially in the age of 24-hour news, social media, and most recently, COVID-19. CF can be a form of stress that occurs when someone is indirectly exposed to a traumatized or distressed individual or situation (Cocker & Joss, 2016). Examples of this are things like listening to someone talk about experiencing abuse, watching news stories about a devastating incident that impacted groups of people, or volunteering with agencies that help at-risk individuals (Clay, 2022; The Compass Center, 2020).

The term is sometimes used interchangeably with “burnout”, but they have different causes and lead to different outcomes. It is also different from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which results from direct exposure to a traumatic experience, such as being involved in a life-threatening situation (Cocker & Joss, 2016; The American Institute of Stress [AIS], n.d.).

  • Compassion Fatigue can occur quickly or over time, depending on how involved you might be in the person or situation, and is trauma-related (AIS, n.d.). For example, listening to a traumatic experience or constantly watching negative news. One distinguishing sign is feeling devoid of emotion or desire to help someone because you feel overwhelmed from not being able to help (Thurrott, 2021).
  • Burnout is not related to trauma. It tends to occur over time and is marked by physical and emotional exhaustion from experiencing “too much” – too much work or too many responsibilities. One distinguishing sign is withdrawal from or apathy toward work because of the environment (e.g., increased workload or lack of support) (AIS, n.d.; Thurrott, 2021).

Repeated indirect exposure to trauma can lead to emotional, cognitive, and behavioral changes among “helping” professions, but it’s also becoming more common among the general population (Clay, 2022; Cocker & Joss, 2016; Thurrott, 2021). Family caregivers, people who watch too many negative news stories, and even volunteers who work with agencies serving high-risk groups can all experience CF (The Compass Center, 2020). After enough exposure, they may feel overwhelmed by stories of suffering and “tune out”, leading to feelings of indifference toward the person or situation (Engage Together, 2022).

To find out if you are experiencing CF, take the self-assessment Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) Measure, which measures CF, burnout, and compassion satisfaction (the sense of fulfillment from helping others), considered to help counteract CF. These strategies are found to be helpful for professionals and the general public alike:

  • Stress reduction techniques such as yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and music therapy (Cocker & Joss, 2016).
  • Set limits for watching the news and being on social media. Balance them with positive stories and experiences (The Compass Center, 2020; Thurrott, 2021).
  • Self-care, including getting proper sleep, eating healthy, and being physically active (Clay, 2022; Pfifferling & Gilley, 2000).
  • Taking time away from work (or volunteering), whether it’s finding a hobby outside of work or taking time off (AIS, n.d.; Clay, 2022; Pfifferling & Gilley, 2000).

Pay attention to how stressful and traumatic stories and experiences affect you, with particular focus on whether you are feeling CF. If you are, have a plan and list ways that help you manage your feelings/thoughts/behaviors, and make those helpful strategies part of your routine. There is nothing wrong with wanting to help people, just don’t forget to help yourself as well.

References:

Clay, R. (2022). Are you experiencing compassion fatigue? American Psychological Association.  https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/compassion-fatigue
Cocker, F. & Joss, N. (2016). Compassion fatigue among healthcare, emergency and community service  workers: A systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 13(6):618. doi:  10.3390/ijerph13060618. PMID: 27338436; PMCID: PMC4924075
Engage Together (2022). Compassion fatigue for normal people. https://engagetogether.com/2018/08/01/compassion-fatigue-for-normal-people/
Pfifferling, J-H. & Gilley, K. (2000). Overcoming compassion fatigue. Fam Pract Manag, 7(4, 39-44.  https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/issues/2000/0400/p39.html?printable=fpm
The American Institute of Stress (n.d.). Compassion fatigue. https://www.stress.org/military/for-practitionersleaders/compassion-fatigue
The Center for Victims of Torture (2021). ProQOL Measure. https://proqol.org/proqol-measure
The Compass Center (2020). There are hard things happening in the world — Do you have compassion fatigue? https://thecompasscenter.org/2020/06/26/there-are-hard-things-happening-in-the-world-do-you-have-compassion-fatigue/
Thurrott, S. (2021). Watch for these key warning signs of compassion fatigue. Banner Health. https://www.bannerhealth.com/healthcareblog/teach-me/watch-for-these-key-warning-signs-of-compassion-fatigue