Compassion Fatigue, Emotional Trauma and Quality of Life among Nurses in Tertiary Health Institutions in Benue North-West, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated compassion fatigue, emotional trauma and quality of life among nurses in Tertiary Health Institutions in Benue North-West, Nigeria. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey to sample two hundred and sixty-five (265) nurses using proportionate sampling technique. Data collection was done using Compassion Fatigue Scale, Emotional Trauma Scale and Professional Quality of Life Scale-Revised Version. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested using Simple Linear Regression Analysis and Standard Multiple Regression Analysis. The result of the first hypothesis revealed that there was a significant influence of compassion fatigue on quality of life among nurses in tertiary health institution in Benue North-West, Nigeria. Also, the result of the second hypothesis indicated that there was a significant influence of emotional trauma on quality of life among nurses in tertiary health institutions in Benue North-West. Lastly, the result of hypothesis three indicated that there was a significant joint influence of compassion fatigue and emotional trauma on quality of life among nurses in tertiary health institutions in Benue North-West. It was concluded that compassion fatigue and emotional trauma are significant determinants of quality of life among nurses in tertiary health institutions in Benue North-West when independently and jointly tested. The study therefore recommends among others that clinical psychologists should conduct routine psychological assessments to identify early signs of compassion fatigue, burnout, anxiety, or depression among nurses and establish on-site counseling services or mental health clinics for nurses to help them build emotional resilience, stress management, and self-care strategies.