Compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout: Factors impacting a professional’s quality of life

This study examined the relationship between three variables, compassion fatigue (CF), compassion satisfaction (CS), and burnout, and provider and setting char-acteristics in a sample of 1,121 mental health providers in a rural southern state. Respondents completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale as part of a larger survey of provider practice patterns. Female gender was associated with higher levels of CF, and therapists with specialized training in trauma work reported higher levels of CS than nonspecialists. Provider discipline proved to be an impor-tant factor, with psychiatrists reporting higher levels of CF than their non-medical counterparts. When providers were compared using rural, urban, and rural with urban influence classifications, the most rural providers reported increased levels of burnout but could not be distinguished from their colleagues on the CF and CS subscales. Important practice, education, and policy implications are noted for a multidisciplinary audience. American author James Baldwin (1963) wrote, ‘‘One can give noth-ing whatever without giving oneself, that is to say risking oneself’’ (p. 100). Risking exposure to vicarious trauma is an inherent part of the process when working with traumatized persons. The empiri-cal literature has documented mental health consequences of professionals ’ exposure to trauma patients, responses that differ depending upon individual and contextual characteristics specific to the provider and the practice setting. This study explores vari-ables that might influence such responses to vicarious exposure to traumatic stress by examining compassion fatigue (CF), compassio