Self-Compassion and Empathy: Impact on Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress in Medical Training

Objective: To determine how self-compassion and empathy might influence the degree of burnout, secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction among medical students and residents. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of medical students and select residency programs at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Respondents completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale (burnout, secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction), Neff’s Self-Compassion Scale, and the empathic concern and personal distress subscales of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Results: The response rate was 28.6%. 23.9% and 27.3% of medical trainees reported high levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress, respectively. Females reported greater empathy but lower self-compassion than males. Greater concern for others and oneself and lower personal distress predicted greater pleasure derived from professional work. Less concern for others and lower concern for oneself predicted greater burnout. Conclusions: Compassion for oneself and for others within their care appears to ameliorate burnout and can increase professional satisfaction. Initiatives to foster empathy and self-compassion may enhance individual well-being.

Prevalence and Social Demographic Factors Associated with Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout and Compassion Satisfaction among Nurses at Selected Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia

Introduction: Nurses’ constant exposure to severe human suffering within constrained health care environments places them at risk for developing Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout. The current study therefore sought to establish the prevalence and social demographic factors associated with Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout and Compassion Satisfaction among Nurses working at selected Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods: A correlational design employing a self-administered questionnaire adapted from version five of the Professional Quality of Life scale was used to collect data from 250 nurses drawn using proportional stratified sampling method. The resulting data were analyzed using version 23 of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify predictors of Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout. Findings: Whilst the majority of respondents reported average levels of Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout, about a quarter reported high Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout scores at 23% and 26% respectively. Only 81 (32.4%) scored high on Compassion Satisfaction. Social demographic factors including;working in the main Intensive Care Unit, and being married accounted for the greatest variance in Secondary Traumatic Stress (R2 = 0.237, p Conclusion: Findings of the current study signify a need to institute measures to help nurses cope with the deleterious psychological effects of constant engagement with those in distress and to foster Compassion Satisfaction.

Reflection:A Critical Look at Escaping Secondary Traumatic Stress Experienced by Law Enforcement Officers

Despite the stigma that is associated with law enforcement officers receiving mental health resources and treatment to combat secondary traumatic stress,it is widely the most effective form for recovery and having a fulfilling career.Law enforcement officers are superheroes and,they are known for saving the day.That is why it is critical for mental health offerings to be normalized in law enforcement agencies and constant evaluation of the psychological and cognitive well-being of officers.Unfortunately,the stress of the profession will not go away,but having resources and incentives to address several factors that officers face will assist with their overall feeling about the important work they do.As such,it is recommended that law enforcement agencies adopt programs to treat secondary traumatic stress,such as Critical Incident Stress Debriefing,Peer-Support Program,and Crisis Intervention Team.While there is no perfect program,these programs are designed to reduce the risk of serious injury or death during an emergency interaction between citizens and law enforcement officers.Ultimately,it is the responsibility of those charged with protecting law enforcement officers to understand the stress and how it affects the mind and body of those officers in managing life,work,and citizens.

Reciprocal Association between Psychological Distress and PTSD and Their Relationship with Pre-Displacement Stressors among Displaced Women

It is established in the psychological literature that pre-displacement stressors,PTSD symptoms,and psycholo-gical distress are associated among internally displaced persons.However,existing studies have not demonstrated the mechanism underlying these associations.This study compared two explanatory models;one with PTSD symptoms severity explaining the indirect association between pre-displacement stressors and psychological dis-tress,and the other with psychological distress explaining the indirect relationship between pre-displacement stressors and PTSD symptoms severity.In a cross-sectional design,631 women(Mean age=31.18±8.59)were conveniently and purposely selected from the displaced women harboured in two camps in Borno State,Nigeria,due to the Boko-Haram insurgency.Data were collected utilizing structured questionnaires and subjected to path analyses.Results demonstrated that PTSD symptoms severity and psychological distress indirectly explained their respective and independent association with pre-displacement stressors.However,PTSD symptoms had a statis-tically larger standardized indirect effect size,greater indirect effect percentage,and bigger kappa-squared(k2)effect size than psychological distress.PTSD symptoms and psychological distress may have a reciprocal influence on each other from pre-displacement stressors.However,PTSD symptoms can better explain the association between pre-displacement stressors and psychological distress than the other way around.These outcomes have important implications for the psychological treatment of displaced persons.

Assessment of Psychological Distress among Parents of Children with Cancer

Background and Aims: The diagnosis of pediatric cancer is a potentially traumatic event and a major source of psychological distress for parents. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence and the risk factors of psychological distress among parents of children diagnosed with cancer. Methods: This is a descriptive study carried out on parents of children diagnosed with cancer and treated in the department of medical oncology at the Habib Bourguiba Hospital in Tunisia. Over a period of four months, from the beginning of December 2020 until the end of March 2021, forty-three parents (34 mothers and 9 fathers) were assessed, using psychometric scales of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress according to respectively to the Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAM), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES-R). Results: Sixteen percent of the parents had scores indicating acute stress and 21% had scores indicating post-traumatic stress. Eighty six percent of the parents had mild to severe depression and 95% had minor to major anxiety. Post-traumatic stress and anxiety are significantly correlated with the female sex of parents. Significant correlations are also found between post-traumatic stress scores and symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, our study did not show a significant correlation between the others factors studied and the parents’ psychological distress. Conclusion: The prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders was high among parents of children diagnosed with cancer and a significant correlation was found between stress and anxiety with the female sex of parents. Our results were similar to several studies although other risk factors for psychological distress in parents of children with cancer were described in the literature.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice among Drivers in Trinidad, West Indies

Few studies have been conducted on the incidence and factors which contribute to road traffic collisions in Trinidad. In order to fill this gap in knowledge, we conducted knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) study among drivers to determine which factors contributed to these accidents. A questionnaire was developed and administered using a cross-sectional approach among 3000 persons living in 5 different areas of Trinidad. The collected data were analysed using SPSS version 22, t-test and multivariate analysis. Of the 2998 respondents, at least 572 (19.1%) had been involved in one or more road collisions. While only 46.7% of respondents always wore seat belts, approximately 93% believed strongly that their use was essential for safety—a 3-fold increase in that found in a previous study. The multiple regression analysis indicated that attitude and age were significantly associated with accidents and increased risk for accidents. The results showed that alcohol consumption, use of mobile phones while driving, speed, and age were significantly (p > 0.001) associated with accidents. In conclusion, most respondents were aware of traffic laws and regulations, but their knowledge and practice often diverged. However the improvement in attitude to seat-belt wearing suggests that a holistic driver education program may improve driver practice and adherence to the road traffic regulations in Trinidad.