Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Family Caregiver's Experience: Examining The Positive And Negative Aspects Of Compassion Satisfaction And Compassion Fatigue Using A Stress Process Model, Susan Lynch

Nursing ETDs

Family caregivers significantly contribute to the provision of health care for their family members. This complex care can result in stress that may lead to both positive and negative consequences for the caregiver. Current literature tends to focus on negative consequences such as caregiver burden. Therefore, compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction are proposed as concepts that may better reflect the family caregiving experience. Compassion fatigue is comprised of two components; burnout and secondary traumatic stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the concept of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among family caregivers and to explore the relationship between …