1. Losing compassion for patients? The implications of COVID-19 on compassion fatigue and event-related post-traumatic stress disorder in nurses
- Author
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Wayne Hochwarter, Samantha Jordan, Christian Kiewitz, Patrick Liborius, Antonia Lampaki, Jennifer Franczak, Yufan Deng, Mayowa T. Babalola, and Abdul Karim Khan
- Subjects
event system theory ,Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management ,Social Psychology ,pandemic ,compassion fatigue ,COVID-19 ,PTSD ,Management Science and Operations Research ,nurses ,Applied Psychology - Abstract
PurposeThe authors investigated a psychological process that links characteristics of events related to the coronavirus disease (2019) COVID-19 pandemic (i.e. perceived novelty, disruptiveness and criticality) to compassion fatigue [(CF), a form of caregiver burnout] and subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in nurses.Design/methodology/approachAdministering two online surveys (October and November 2020) resulted in matched data from 175 nurses responsible for patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic.FindingsPerceived disruptiveness and criticality of COVID-19 events were positively associated with nurses' CF, which also mediated those characteristics' effects on PTSD instigated by COVID-19. Contrary to the authors' hypothesis, the perceived novelty of COVID-19 events was not significantly associated with CF nor was the indirect effect of perceived novelty on PTSD mediated by CF.Originality/valueThe authors extend event system theory by investigating the psychological processes linking event features and resultant outcomes while providing practical implications on preparations for future unexpected and potentially life-altering events.
- Published
- 2022