Intervening to Improve Compassion Fatigue Resiliency in Forensic Nurses. (April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Flarity, Kathleen; Nash, Kim; Jones, Whitney; Steinbruner, Dave
• Is Part Of: Advanced emergency nursing journal. Volume 38:Number 2(2016)
• Page Start: 147
• Page End: 156
• Publication Date: 2016-04
• Subjects: burnout -- compassion fatigue -- compassion satisfaction -- forensic nurses -- nursing practice -- resiliency -- SANEs -- secondary traumatic stress -- vicarious traumatization; Emergency nursing -- Periodicals; Emergency medicine -- Periodicals; 616.02505
• DOI: 10.1097/TME.0000000000000101
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1931-4485

Abstract

Abstract : Evidence suggests that forensic nurses (FNs) may be predisposed to compassion fatigue (CF) as a result of the challenges of the profession including high caseloads, role ambiguity, prosecution goals, vicarious traumatization, attending to survivors' emotional needs, and empowering victims. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the prevalence of CF in a convenience sample of 55 FNs and examine the treatment effectiveness of a multifaceted education program in an intervention subset. The intervention was intended to increase compassion satisfaction (CS) and decrease CF symptoms in FNs in one organization who participated in the training. The hypothesis was that the FNs will have moderate to high CF and moderate to high CS and the CF intervention will add in CF prevention and resiliency as measured with an improvement in the Professional Quality of Life test scores (B. H.Stamm, 2010a ). In the prevalence sample, 69% of the FNs had moderate to low CS, 73% had moderate to high burnout, and 73% had moderate to high levels of secondary traumatic stress (STS). In the intervention group, the education program resulted in a statistically significant increase in CS and decreases in STS symptoms.