Influence of Hope, Optimism, Resilience and Sense of Humor on Compassion Fatigue among Mental Health Professionals

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the influence of hope, optimism, resilience, and sense of humor on compassion fatigue among mental health professionals. The study involved a sample of 132 (81 Females, 51 Males) mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed counselors, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, psychiatric nurses, and substance addiction counselors. The age of the participants ranged from 25- 45 and they were required to have a minimum of 3 years of work experience. Data collection involved the use of a demographic questionnaire, as well as the Life Orientation Scale, Adult Hope Scale, Brief Resilience Scale, Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale, and Compassion Fatigue Self-Test. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, and Pearson correlation was performed using SPSS. The average scores for hope, optimism, resilience, sense of humor, and compassion fatigue were found to be 62.89 ± 2.82, 15.62 ± 3.62,18.86 ± 2.77, 68.70. ± 7.99 and 49.83 ± 13.07 respectively, based on the data analysis. The results indicated a significant low to moderate negative correlation between hope, optimism, resilience, sense of humor, and compassion fatigue among mental health professionals. These findings suggest that cultivating hope, optimism, resilience, and a sense of humor may serve as protective factors against compassion fatigue in the mental health profession.