Compassion fatigue among Filipino nurses: nature, sources, perceived effects and coping strategies

Abstract

This study attempted to explore the concept of compassion fatigue among Filipino nurses, using sequential-explanatory mixed research design. Compassion fatigue is a phenomenon characterized by a combination of physical, emotional, social and spiritual depletion associated with caring for patients in significant emotional pain and physical distress. The prevalence of compassion fatigue among nurses, as well as significant associations with demographic and occupational factors, was determined using a pretested self-administered survey-type questionnaire. In addition, phenomenological interviews were employed to describe the lived experiences of nurses in relation to compassion fatigue. Informed consent was obtained from the participants after explaining the purpose, mechanics and ethics of the study. A total of 129 nurses from the Philippine General Hospital, Manila Doctors' Hospital and Christ the King Hospital were sampled purposively to participate in the survey. More than half of the respondents were single female, aged 20-30 years old who worked in the medical profession for almost 5 years. The results indicated that on average, the respondents had moderate levels of compassion fatigue. Moreover, compassion fatigue was found to have significant negative correlation with self-ratings on general health condition (p=0.000). Experiences of neglect (p=0.009) and parental separation (p=0.006) while growing up were also significantly associated with experiences of compassion fatigue. In coping with compassion fatigue, the survey identified (1) working harder and (2) thinking of what to do next. The qualitative interviews mentioned psychological distancing or boundary setting and sharing one's own anxieties and concerns as additional forms of coping. This study has shown that compassion fatigue is a temporary relational consequence of a caring relationship when an empathic individual is affected negatively by his interactions with an individual in significant pain and trauma.