The Moderating Role of Compassion Satisfaction and Resilience on Compassion Fatigue and Psychological Distress among Healthcare Workers

Abstract

Compassion and the healthcare system have consistently been viewed as intertwined. Healthcare Workers (HCWs) are expected to exhibit compassion and empathy while making reasonable decisions across various settings. However, daily challenges and exposure of HCWs to patients’ suffering can hinder their ability to provide compassionate care. Their role may induce stress, potentially leading to compassion fatigue (CF). While the COVID-19 pandemic has raised attention to the mental health of those who have been impacted, little is known about HCWs’ CF and other psychological distress in the recent post pandemic days. The psychological impact of dealing with the uncertainty and the stress of the pandemic may continue, even though the immediate risk of viral contact has decreased. Hence, this study aims to examine the moderating role of Compassion Satisfaction (CS) and resilience on CF and psychological distress among Malaysian HCWs. This study hypothesized that: (H1) CF will significantly and positively predict psychological distress, (H2-H3) CS and resilience will moderate the relationship independently, (H4) CS and resilience will moderate the relationship jointly and (H5) there will be a significant difference in level of CF between professions. The study adopted a cross-sectional design. 226 HCWs were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling, and data were analysed using simple linear regression, moderation analysis and One-Way ANOVA. The results revealed that H1, H3 and H5 
were supported, whereas H2 and H4 were not. The findings suggested that resilience may be prominent when external supports were not accounted for.