COVID-19 patient care predicts nurses' parental burnout and child abuse: Mediating effects of compassion fatigue. (August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Stevenson, Margaret C.; Schaefer, Cynthia T.; Ravipati, Vaishnavi M.
• Is Part Of: Child abuse & neglect. Volume 130:Part 1(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-08
• Subjects: COVID-19 -- Coronavirus -- Pandemic -- Public health crisis -- Compassion fatigue -- Burnout -- Child abuse -- Child neglect -- Spouse conflict -- Substance abuse -- Nursing; Child abuse -- Periodicals; 362.76
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105458
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0145-2134

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Nurses who are also parents may be at risk not only for professional compassion fatigue, but also parental burnout – a reliable and valid predictor of child abuse and neglect. In support, recent research reveals that parents' COVID-19 related stressors predicted elevated potential for child abuse (Katz and Fallon, 2021). Objective: We explored the harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses' parental burnout, child abuse, and child neglect, as mediated by compassion fatigue (i.e., a combination of job burnout and secondary traumatic stress). Participants and setting: Participants were 244 nurses ( M age = 32.4; 87% female) who were parents of young children (age 12 or under) recruited via chain referral sampling. Methods: Participants completed an anonymous survey assessing the extent to which they care for COVID-19 patients, are exposed to patients suffering and dying from COVID-19, and have lost family income due to COVID-19. We also measured their compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, substance abuse, spouse conflict, parental burnout, child abuse, and child neglect. Results: As hypothesized, direct care of COVID-19 patients, exposure to patient death and suffering due to COVID-19, and family income loss due to COVID-19 predicted greater compassion fatigue, which in turn, predicted greater parental burnout, child abuse, child neglect, spouse conflict, and substance abuse, (IEs ≥ 0.06, all p s < 0.05). Also, as compassion satisfaction increased, parental burnout, child abuse, child neglect, spouse conflict, and substance abuse decreased, r s ≥ −0.203, p s < 0.01. Conclusions: Theoretical implications and practical implications for medical practice and child abuse prevention are discussed.