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Volume 12, Issue 2, April, 2024 Evidence in Action A quarterly research brief from the Center on Trauma and Children
The Relationship Between Secondary Traumatic Stress and Compassion Satisfaction: A Systematic Literature Review
Sprang, G., Gusler, S., Eslinger, J., & Gottfried, R. (2023). The Relationship Between Secondary Traumatic Stress and Compassion Satisfaction: A Systematic Literature Review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380231209438
The Study
It has been proffered that compassion satisfaction (CS) “can be construed as an emotional state that mitigates secondary traumatic stress (STS)” (Lee et al., 2021, p. 2)., as it provides motivation, stamina, interest, and a sense of accomplishment in aiding clients to overcome trauma” (Wagaman et al., 2015, p. 203). Following this logic, high levels of STS may negatively impact one’s capacity for CS. It is also possible that the relationship is dependent on another factor. However, most of these assertions seem largely theory-driven. Some researchers speculate that the relationship between the two constructs is likely influenced by other factors such as empathy, trait-negative affect, and self-care (Craigie et al., 2016; Wagaman et al., 2015). This article presents a systematic literature review that examines the relationship between STS and CS to identify the state of the science and directions for future research.
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis framework was used to guide the identification and evaluation of studies. Eight academic databases were systematically searched between July and December of 2022 to identify articles and dissertations published in English or Hebrew between 2000 and 2022. Studies were considered for inclusion if they examined the relationship between STS and CS and met an established quality threshold. If studies used a mixed methods approach, only quantitative results were included in the review. The search strategy yielded 537 studies, with 33 included in the final review. Findings of this review suggest experiences of high levels of STS can coexist with high levels of CS, indicating that people can gain satisfaction from their work and still experience STS. Most studies examined the relationship between STS and CS using bivariate analyses with variability found in the direction of the relationship. This variability was also found in multivariate studies included in this review. Possible moderators noted in the published literature included sex, age, burnout, perspective, and the use of self-care, but this list is limited by what has been investigated. Additionally, there was some preliminary evidence that the link between CS and lower levels of burnout (BO) may be more robust than the CS-STS relationship, though further research is needed.
These findings suggest the need for interventions to address both STS and CS with attention paid to the potential negative impact of emotional contagion and the vulnerability of younger female practitioners. Future research should pay attention to the rigor of the analysis of STS and CS and the exploration of a wider range of mediating or moderating mechanisms between these constructs.
Translational Tips
- Don’t assume because someone loves their job they are protected from STS. The fact that these two conditions can exist simultaneously suggests that other factors could impact the expression of STS, even if high CS exists.
- Cultivating CS in the workforce is a worthwhile endeavor as it may be an important link in the chain of factors that can ultimately influence the development of STS (e.g. emotional contagion), and may be protective against BO.
- It is important for researchers to think of the concepts of STS, CS and BO in relationship to one another, rather than continue with investigations that investigate these as separate outcomes.
References
Craigie, M., Osseiran-Moisson, R., Hemsworth, D., Aoun, S., Francis, K., Brown, J., ... & Rees, C. (2016). The influence of trait-negative affect and compassion satisfaction on compassion fatigue in Australian nurses. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 8(1), 88.
Lee, H. J., Lee, M., & Jang, S. J. (2021). Compassion satisfaction, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout among nurses working in trauma centers: a cross-sectional study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(14), 7228.
Wagaman, M. A., Geiger, J. M., Shockley, C., & Segal, E. A. (2015). The role of empathy in burnout, compassion satisfaction, and secondary traumatic stress among social workers. Social work, 60(3), 201-209.