Determining the Relationship Between Compassion Fatigue and Emotion Regulation Skills in Nurses

Background: Preventing or reducing compassion fatigue in nurses is essential for ensuring high-quality care and enhancing nurses’ professional satisfaction.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the relationship between compassion fatigue and emotion regulation skills in nurses.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, correlational study. Participants included nurses working at a training and research hospital. Data were collected using a self-reported Personal Information Questionnaire that included sociodemographic variables, the Compassion Fatigue Short Scale (CF-SS), and the Emotion Regulation Skills Ques-tionnaire (ERSQ). Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent samples t-test, and Pearson's correlation.

Results: The mean age of the nurses was 34.92±8.63 years, and the average duration of professional experience was 12.3±9.19 years. Significant differences were found in compassion fatigue based on marital status, love of the profession, and intention to change profession. A weak negative correlation was observed between age, years of experience, and compassion fatigue. Additionally, significant differences in emotion regulation skills were found based on love of the profession and intention to change profession. A strong negative correlation was identified between compassion fatigue and emotion regulation skills.

Conclusion: Given the negative relationship between compassion fatigue and emotion regulation skills, it can be concluded that enhancing nurses' emotion regulation abilities may help reduce compassion fatigue. It is essential to provide training programs focused on developing emotion regulation skills. In-service training programs should incorporate components that help reduce compassion fatigue, including the development of emotion regulation skills.