Managing Emotional Fatigue(Compassion fatigue, burnout, vicarious trauma)
Lauren Stapleton, Psychology Discipline Senior, Dandenong Adult Mental Health and Young Persons Mental Health
Why’s it Important?
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Compassion fatigue is more common in health professionals who deal with patients with acute traumatic injuries or long-term debilitating illnesses.
‘Occupational stress injury’, this is the cultural shift away from blame and stigmatization, and towards shared responsibility and empathy.
The Stats
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Healthcare workers are greatest risk - between 1/3 to 1/2 will experience burnout
(Brindley et al., 2019).
Compassion fatigue has also been shown to affect 16% to 39% of nurses, with nurses working in emergency, oncology, hospice,
and paediatric settings reporting higher levels (Potter et al., 2013).
Those in the frontline of treating trauma are at especially high risk for developing compassion fatigue. Research has found that in a sample of
GPs, one in three reported high levels of compassion fatigue (McKinley et al., 2020).
The Definitions
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Vicarious Trauma (VT) Compassion Fatigue (CF)
Burnout (BO)
Vicarious trauma has been defined as the profound shift in world view that occurs in helping professionals when they work with clients who have experienced trauma
Compassion fatigue is the emotional and physical distress caused by treating and helping patients who are deeply in need
Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion and reduced personal value (Jarrad & Hammad, 2020). It can happen alone or in a combination with CF
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What Places You at Higher Risk?
Personal and current life
circumstancesWork
environment
Female gender
Age (younger clinicians are more vulnerable to compassion fatigue)
Clinician’s own past trauma history
Coping style i.e., avoidant coping style
Personality style i.e., identifying as a ‘carer’ or taking on ‘carer/helper’ roles
Current life circumstances and other life stressors i.e., taking care of young children, caring for ageing parents)
Amount and quality of social support
Increased exposure to traumatised
clients
Length of time providing certain
types of treatments to patients
occupational stress i.e., a high amount of administration work,
paperwork, workplace negativity
What are the Triggers? Vi
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Personal characteristics, previous exposure to trauma, organisational context.
Personal characteristics, previous exposure to trauma, empathy and emotional energy, prolonged exposure to trauma of client group, responses to stressor, work environment and work related attitude
Personal characteristics, work-related attributes, organisational characteristics
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What are the Signs/Symptoms? Vi
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Anxiety, sadness, apathy, confusion, intrusive imagery, somatic complaints
Avoidance or dread in working with some patients, reduced ability to feel empathy, increased sick days, detachment, changes in beliefs, somatic complaints
Insomnia, anxiety, depression, hostility, apathy, distrust, irritability and isolation (Jarrad & Hammad, 2020) Associated with: job dissatisfaction, low organisational commitment, absenteeism, intention to leave job and turnover (O’Connor et al., 2018)
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What Can We Do?
What helps reduce
burnout?
Capacity to influence decisions, sense of
autonomy
Developing a better self-understanding (via various self-analytic techniques, counselling or therapy, self reflection) (Maslach & Leiter, 2016)
Promoting good health and fitness
Utilizing relaxation strategies
Obtaining social support (both from colleagues and family)
Developing coping skills (e.g., cognitive restructuring, conflict resolution, time management)
Changing work patterns (e.g., working less, taking more breaks, avoiding
overtime work, balancing work with the rest of one's life)
Compassion Satisfaction
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Compassion Satisfaction (CS) is defined as lending a hand to others through life's challenges (Jarrad & Hammad, 2020)
CS is about gaining a sense of achievement from the content of caring whilst resisting the negative emotional effects it may have.
CS feelings include fulfilment, reward, achievement, happiness, enrichment and inspiration; the positive aspects of helping.
PSYCHOLOGIAL FACTORS
Empathy
Personality
Coping Style
Psychological Capital
Compassion Satisfaction
How to Remain Satisfied - What Can I Do?
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Make meaningful memories of the caring role
The dynamics of co-workers
Quality of social support
Exercise
Hobbies
Rest
Don’t underestimate the ongoing caring role you play at home (see this as a 2nd shift)
What Role Does Self-Care Play?
Self-care planning and implementation is the
early intervention against compassion
fatigue.
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30/7/20 12
What Can I Do?
Time management
Self-reflection
Relaxation/ Mindfulness
Cognitive restructuring
Seeking support – at work or at
home
What is Available?
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Call a Psychologist for Individual and/or Team Support on Call 0418 905 4149am – 5pm, Monday to Friday
Alternatively for individual support, call EAP on 1300 687 327
References
• Brindley, P.G., Olusanya, S., Wong, A., Crowe, L., & Hawryluck, L. (2019). Psychological ‘burnout’ in healthcare professionals: Updating our
understanding, and not making it worse. Journal of Intensive Care Society, 20(4), 358-362.
• Jarrad, R.A., & Hammad, S. (2020). Oncology nurses 'compassion fatigue, burn out and compassion satisfaction. Annals of General Psychiatry,19:22, 1-8
• Maslach, C. & Leiter, M.P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15:103-111
• O’Connor, K., Neffe, D.M., & Pitman, S. (2018). Burnout in mental health professional: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and determinants. European Psychiatry, 53: 74-99
• Pearlman, L. A., & Saakvitne, K. W. (1995). Trauma and the therapist: Countertransference and vicarious traumatization in psychotherapy with incest survivors. W W Norton & Co.
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