Compassion fatigue refers to reduced capacity or interest (desensitization) of a caregiver to be empathic to clients or to hear of their suffering.
Groups at risk:
(1) healthcare workers (physicians, nurses, etc.)
(2) social workers
(3) emergency medical technicians and first responders
(4) home caregivers
Risk factors for compassion fatigue:
(1) overwhelming event (disaster, war, etc)
(2) lack of support at work or in life
(3) poor coping skills
(4) job, career and/or life dissatisfaction
(5) low levels of client appreciation
(6) inadequate staffing or high workload
(7) poor remuneration and/or status
(8) failure to exercise regularly
(9) psychiatric problems
There is some overlap between compassion fatigue with burnout and secondary PTSD.
