Compassion fatigue, watching patients suffering and emotional display rules among hospice professionals: a daily diary study

Portoghese, Igor

Primo

Conceptualization

;Galletta, Maura

Secondo

Methodology

;Larkin, Philip

Conceptualization

;Sardo, Salvatore

Methodology

;Campagna, Marcello

Methodology

;Finco, Gabriele

Penultimo

Conceptualization

;D'Aloja, Ernesto

Ultimo

Conceptualization

2020-01-01

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Abstract

Hospice workers are required to regularly use emotional regulation strategies in an attempt to encourage and sustain terminally ill patients and families. Daily emotional regulation in reaction to constantly watching suffering patients may be intensified among those hospice professionals who have high levels of compassion fatigue. The main object of this study was to examine the relationship between daily exposition to seeing patient suffering and daily emotional work, and to assess whether compassion fatigue (secondary traumatic stress and burnout) buffers this relationship.