Abstract
Background: compassion fatigue and burnout can impact on the performance of midwives, with this quantitative paper exploring the relationship between self-compassion, burnout, compassion fatigue, self-judgement, self-kindness, compassion for others, professional quality of life and well-being of student midwives.
Method: a quantitative survey measured relationships using questionnaires: (1) Professional Quality of Life Scale (2) Self-Compassion Scale (3) Short Warwick and Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (4) Compassion For Others Scale. Participants: a purposive and convenience sample of student midwives (n=103) studying at university participated in the study.
Results: just over half of the sample reported above average scores for burnout. The results indicate that student midwives who report higher scores on the self-judgement sub-scale are less compassionate towards both themselves and others, have reduced well-being, and report greater burnout and compassion fatigue. Student midwives who report high on measures of self-compassion and well-being report less compassion fatigue and burnout.
Conclusion: student midwives may find benefit from 'being kinder to self' in times of suffering, which could potentially help them to prepare for the emotional demands of practice and study. Implications: developing, creating and cultivating environments that foster compassionate care for self and others may play a significant role in helping midwives face the rigours of education and clinical practice during their degree programme.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 239-244 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Midwifery |
| Volume | 34 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2016 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Burnout
- Compassion fatigue
- Self-compassion
- Self-judgement
- Student midwives
- Well-being