The Role of Self-compassion, Concern for Others, and Basic Psychological Needs in the Reduction of Caregiving Burnout
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ORIGINAL PAPER
The Role of Self-compassion, Concern for Others, and Basic Psychological Needs in the Reduction of Caregiving Burnout Zach Gerber 1,2 & David Anaki 1,3 Accepted: 27 October 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Objectives Compassion is the beneficial response of an individual to the sufferings and difficulties of others. Self-compassion refers to feelings of concern an individual feel towards oneself. Both may serve as potential buffers in a hospital setting where caregivers attending to patients in critical condition experience emotional distress, which may lead to burnout. However, the unique contribution of compassion, both to self and others, to the decrease of burnout is unclear. Methods In the present study, we recruited 109 professional caregivers working in a hospital’s intensive care and rehabilitative units. We explored a theoretically driven mediation model in which the relationship between compassion for self and others and burnout is mediated by different basic psychological needs, detailed in the self-determination theory. Results Results indicated that self-compassion and concern for others were associated with reduced levels of burnout. Each of these buffers against burnout was mediated by a unique psychological need, thereby supporting a three-layered model of (a) compassion and self-compassion, (b) basic psychological needs, and (c) burnout. Conclusions Our study highlights compassion and self-compassion as potential resilience factors against the challenge of burnout in healthcare. It points to promising avenues for preemptive clinical interventions. Keywords Self-compassion . Concern for others . Caregiving . Burnout . Self-determination theory
Compassion, or empathic concern for others, refers to the positive emotions one feels towards others’ welfare coupled with the motivation to help alleviate their sufferings and pains (Strauss et al. 2016). Beyond feeling empathic concern for a person who is suffering, the concept of compassion consists of the motivation to relieve him from his sufferings (Goetz et al. 2010; Lazarus 1991). In addition to these affective and motivational aspects of compassion, others added a third cognitive facet—noticing. Noticing is acknowledging the existence of misery in an individual (Kanov et al. 2004). Gilbert (2009) noted that compassion involves additional attributes, such as being non-judgmental towards others and tolerating personal
* David Anaki [email protected] 1
Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, 52900 Ramat-Gan, Israel
2
Reuth Rehabilitation Hospital, 61092 Tel Aviv, Israel
3
The Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Bldg. 901, Room 202, 52900 Ramat-Gan, Israel
distress when faced with other people’s suffering. Thus, compassion is a multi-faceted construct, comprised of various elements (Khoury 2019; Woodruff and Stevens 2018). Compassion has commonalities with other related concepts, such as kindness, pity, and e
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