Estudio sobre la prevalencia del desgaste por empatía (compassion fatigue) en los/as trabajadores/as sociales de los Centros de Servicios Sociales de Mallorca

Résumé

Compassion Fatigue is the natural consequence of working with people who suffer. It has been shown that establishing links and therapeutic relationships with people and/or families who experience traumatic or painful situations can have consequences on the professional offering their support. Social workers are exposed to the stories of trauma, anguish and pain narrated by clients and families with whom they work. The acceptance, respect and individualization, criteria and values that govern the practice of Social Case Work, can only be carried out through the establishment of a sincere therapeutic alliance and an attitude of empathy on the part of the social worker towards the experience of customers and families. This research is based on the need to know the consequences of working with human suffering in the Social Work profession. One of the main objectives of the research was to know the prevalence of Compassion Fatigue among social workers in the Social Services of Mallorca. Other objectives consisted in analysing whether personal or professional self-care practices were useful to reduce the risk of Compassion Fatigue and to know if there was a relationship between Attrition for Empathy and the different dimensions of empathy (fantasy, perspective taking, personal discomfort and empathic concern) or professional involvement and vulnerability. The present investigation consisted in a quantitative cross-sectional research. A sample of 270 caseworkers that practice in Mallorca completed a questionnaire comprised of five scales: a Sociodemographic Questionnaire that included personal and professional aspects; the Self-care Scale (EAP); the Inventory of Quality of Professional Life (ProQOL), the “Inventario de Desgaste por Empatía” (IDE) and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). The data was processed using the statistical program SPSS. The results of the investigation indicated that one third of the social workers surveyed were at high risk levels of Compassion Fatigue. Self-care and Compassion Satisfaction obtained significant inverse relationships with respect to Compassion Fatigue. Also, the findings indicate the existence of a positive relationship between levels of empathy and levels of Compassion Fatigue. In the linear regression model it was observed that variables such as Vulnerability, Empathic Concern, Personal Care, loss of sleep, feeling trapped in work or conception about sensitivity were predictive variables of Compassion Fatigue. The research findings support the importance of continuing to study the phenomenon of attrition in the practice of Social Work and implement training and prevention programs on the Syndrome of Compassion Fatigue both in the university community and in public and private Social Services.