Self-care behaviours and their relationship with Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue levels among social workers

Abstract

Compassion fatigue is a syndrome resulting from an empathic listening to the client's distress. Social workers, by the relational nature of their task, can be at risk and may suffer from adverse health effects. This quantitative research (N = 270) aimed to assess the efficiency of social workers' self-care practices. The conclusion is that personal and professional self-care practices reduce compassion fatigue levels as well as increase satisfaction levels. Promoting self-care practices will bring benefits for the professional and, therefore, in the client and the institution.