Determination of the Relationship Between Nurses' Spiritual Orientation and Compassion Fatigue: A cross-sectional study in Türkiye

Nurses' Spiritual Orientation and Compassion Fatigue

Abstract

Background&Aim: In the nursing profession, which is in intense emotional interaction with people, spiritual orientation is thought to be an effective factor on compassion fatigue. This study aims to examine the relationship between nurses' spiritual orientation and compassion fatigue.

Methods&Materials: The data of the study, which was designed as a cross-sectional study, were collected between July,2023-October,2023. The "Introductory Information Form", "Compassion Fatigue Scale" and "Spiritual Orientation Scale" were used to collect the data. The data were collected through a web-based questionnaire created on Google Forms.

Results: The average age of the nurses is 31.30±6.54. It was determined that the spiritual orientation scores of the nurses were high and their compassion fatigue levels were moderate. The compassion fatigue scores of the nurses differ according to the unit they work in, the length of time they work in the unit, their attitude towards the profession, and their love for the profession(p<0.05). No statistically significant relationship was found between nurses' spiritual orientation and compassion fatigue(p>0.05). A weak negative relationship (r=-0.142; p=0.008) was found between nurses' professional burnout and spiritual orientation levels.

Conclusion: Nurses' compassion fatigue and spiritual orientation are affected by various factors. Our results showed that there is no relationship between compassion fatigue and spiritual orientations. In this context, conducting more comprehensive and follow-up studies will be important in examining the relationship between the two concepts.