Compassion fatigue is not a new concept in nursing; yet, it is not well known and there is no fixed clear definition of the term. The ambiguity surrounding how to define compassion fatigue has challenged its measurement and evaluation. Thus, any attempt to determine attributes of this underdeveloped concept and studying it in a new socio-cultural context requires concept development. The purpos...

BACKGROUND Compassion is considered an essential element in quality patient care. One of the conceptual challenges in healthcare literature is that compassion is often confused with sympathy and empathy. Studies comparing and contrasting patients' perspectives of sympathy, empathy, and compassion are largely absent. AIM The aim of this study was to investigate advanced cancer patients' unders...

BACKGROUND Compassion and compassion fatigue are discussed in the medical literature. However, few studies address physicians and none examine physicians' spiritual beliefs related to their provision of compassionate care. METHODS This in-depth, qualitative interview study explores practicing physicians' views regarding the relationship between compassion and spirituality in medical practice....

Whereas self-criticism has been proposed as an important risk factor for major depressive disorder (MDD), self-compassion has been suggested as a resilience factor that protects against the development and maintenance of depressive episodes. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that frequent self-criticism and low habitual self-compassion are related to concurrent depression and to vulnerabi...

This study examined the impact of routine occupational exposure to traumatic aspects of child illness, injury, and medical treatment upon care providers working within a children's hospital. Three hundred fourteen providers completed a demographic data sheet and four questionnaires. Results suggested overall that the level of Compassion Fatigue in this sample was similar to a trauma worker comp...

Self-compassion has been linked to both positive aspects of well-being and less psychopathology in nonclinical samples. Although this construct has begun to be investigated in case studies, the clinical correlates of self-compassion for those with schizophrenia spectrum disorders have yet to be explored. This study aimed to explore the relationship between self-compassion, symptoms, and insight...

Although empathy is crucial for successful social interactions, excessive sharing of others' negative emotions may be maladaptive and constitute a source of burnout. To investigate functional neural plasticity underlying the augmentation of empathy and to test the counteracting potential of compassion, one group of participants was first trained in empathic resonance and subsequently in compass...

This article defines and examines the construct of self-compassion. Self-compassion entails three main components: (a) self-kindness—being kind and understanding toward oneself in instances of pain or failure rather than being harshly self-critical, (b) common humanity—perceiving one’s experiences as part of the larger human experience rather than seeing them as separating and isolating, and (c...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate advanced cancer patients' perspectives on the importance, feasibility, teaching methods, and issues associated with training healthcare providers in compassionate care. METHODS This study utilized grounded theory, a qualitative research method, to develop an empirical understanding of compassion education rooted in direct pat...

Compassion is the ability to be sympathetic along with the desire to remedy distress and offer help. The art and science of nursing speaks to the need of having compassion toward those nurses serve, especially when different from the nurse. This article examines the concept of service-learning as a teaching strategy and way of developing compassion in today's nursing students.