Determination of the relationship between nurses' spiritual orientation and compassion fatigue and the factors affecting them: A cross-sectional correlational study
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Abstract
Background & Aim: In the nursing profession, which is in intense emotional interaction with people, spiritual orientation is thought to be an effective factor in compassion fatigue. This study aimed to identify the factors influencing nurses' spiritual orientation and compassion fatigue, and to examine the relationship between these two variables.
Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted with 346 nurses between July 2023 and October 2023. The data were collected through a web-based questionnaire created on Google Forms. The "Introductory Information Form", "Compassion Fatigue Scale", and "Spiritual Orientation Scale" were used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 statistical software.
Results: It was determined that the spiritual orientation scores of the nurses were high(93.180±20.51) and their compassion fatigue levels were moderate(66.110±22.04). Nurses’ spiritual orientation was affected by sex, educational status, working unit, attitude towards profession, and doing the profession with love. Compassion fatigue scores were affected by having children, working unit, working time in the unit, attitude towards profession, and doing the profession with love(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' occupational burnout and spiritual orientation levels.
Conclusion: These results suggest that factors influencing compassion fatigue are not limited to spiritual orientation alone, but may include other factors besides it. In this context, it would be important to conduct more comprehensive follow-up studies to examine the relationship between the two concepts and to address the factors that may influence it.
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| Issue | Articles in Press | |
| Section | Original Article(s) | |
| Keywords | ||
| burnout; compassion fatigue; nurse; spirituality | ||
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