Compassion Fatigue in Small Scale Health Care Facility Nurses: Testing the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Abstract

The aim of the present research is to explore the levels of compassion fatigue and examine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on compassion fatigue in nurses working in small scale healthcare facilities. This research compares two settings i.e., Individual and Training. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant difference in the levels of compassion fatigue, before and after cognitive behavioral therapy interventions among nurses. Secondly, it was also hypothesized that there would be a significant difference in the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy on compassion fatigue in nurses in individual settings, as compared to training settings. A sample of 30 nurses, recruited from two small scale healthcare facilities in Karachi were screened for compassion fatigue by using Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQol) version 5. A total of Four nurses (M=24, SD=3.39) with high levels of compassion fatigue were facilitated by providing therapeutic intervention based on worksheets from a self-help workbook, ‘Overcoming Compassion Fatigue’ for both settings. The participants reported experiencing differing levels of compassion fatigue. Paired sample t- tests and Independent sample t- tests showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the levels of Compassion Fatigue post intervention. The findings also suggested absence of a significant difference (p > 0.05) in the levels of Compassion fatigue in nurses in individual settings as compared to training settings. The research carries implications for educators and psychologists as it proves the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in treating compassion fatigue. Hospital management may find it beneficial to utilize the current treatment process using cognitive behavioral therapy to relieve burnout and compassion fatigue in nurses.