Prevalência de fadiga por compaixão e experiências adversas na infância em funcionários de uma instituição de acolhimento

Abstract

Caregivers who work with children in residential care may be at risk of developing Compassion Fatigue, a form of physical and emotional exhaustion resulting from the empathic cost of dealing with others’ suffering. This study aimed to investigate the levels of Compassion Fatigue among professionals working with children in residential care and to identify the relationship between Compassion Fatigue levels and the professionals’ own Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Fifteen professionals participated in the study. ACEs were assessed using the ACE score, while Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, and Compassion Satisfaction were measured using the ProQOL scale. Descriptive analyses and Spearman correlations were conducted. Compassion Fatigue remained low (73% low; 27% moderate), as did Burnout (86.6% low; 13.3% moderate), whereas Compassion Satisfaction was high (53.3% high; 46.6% moderate). Regarding ACEs, 33.3% reported no adverse experiences, 40.0% reported between 1 and 3, and 26.7% reported ≥4, with a mean ACE score of 2.33 (SD = 2.29). Correlations between ACEs and compassion satisfaction and fatigue were moderate but not statistically significant (rho = -0.380–0.373; p = 0.162–0.176). A significant negative correlation was found between emotional neglect and burnout (rho = −0.528; p = 0.043). The results indicate that although most professionals had experienced at least one ACE, levels of burnout and compassion fatigue remained low, while compassion satisfaction was high. The associations found suggest that ACEs may have some influence on workers’ emotional outcomes, but in a heterogeneous manner and likely mediated by external factors.Se quiser, posso formatar como resumo científico, versão curta ou versão para pôster.