Mindfulness as an Indicator of Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue in Therapists

Abstract

The aims of the present study were to investigate the impact of mindfulness on the constructs of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue in therapists and to explore the relationship between the variables of compassion satisfaction, mindfulness and compassion fatigue among therapists who are working in clinical settings and have a minimum experience of one year. It was hypothesized that compassion satisfaction and mindfulness is likely to be negatively correlated with compassion fatigue. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that mindfulness is likely to negatively predict compassion fatigue and positively predict compassion satisfaction. For this correlational study, sample of 119 therapists from Islamabad and Rawalpindi agreed to participate in the study having the qualification of MS, ADCP or PhD. Informed consent, Demographic sheet, Professional Quality of Life Scale (Stamm, 2009) and The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (Brown & Ryan, 2003) were used. Results indicate that there is a relationship between compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction as well as between compassion fatigue and mindfulness. Meanwhile, mindfulness and compassion satisfaction are positively correlated. Another interesting finding was that the males were more prone towards experiencing Burnout than females. Additionally, it was found that mindfulness positively predicts compassion satisfaction and negatively predicts the compassion fatigue in therapists.