Compassion fatigue and satisfaction among frontline staff in long term care facilities: psychometric properties of the Serbian version of the professional quality of life scale
IntroductionThis study explored the complex relationship between anxiety, depression, compassion fatigue, and satisfaction among long-term care (LTC) workers following the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the study assessed psychometric properties of the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale, t...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| author | Milutin Vracevic Milutin Vracevic Vedrana Pavlovic Natasa Todorovic Natasa Todorovic Natasa M. Milic Natasa M. Milic Bojana Matejic Predrag Brkic Nikola V. Milic Marko Savic Srdjan Masic Andrija Pavlovic Vladislav Stanisic Ana Tasic Dragan Spaic Sandra Matovic Danijela Tiosavljevic Danijela Tiosavljevic Dejana Stanisavljevic |
| author_facet | Milutin Vracevic Milutin Vracevic Vedrana Pavlovic Natasa Todorovic Natasa Todorovic Natasa M. Milic Natasa M. Milic Bojana Matejic Predrag Brkic Nikola V. Milic Marko Savic Srdjan Masic Andrija Pavlovic Vladislav Stanisic Ana Tasic Dragan Spaic Sandra Matovic Danijela Tiosavljevic Danijela Tiosavljevic Dejana Stanisavljevic |
| author_sort | Milutin Vracevic |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionThis study explored the complex relationship between anxiety, depression, compassion fatigue, and satisfaction among long-term care (LTC) workers following the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the study assessed psychometric properties of the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale, to ensure a reliable and valid instrument for identifying compassion fatigue and satisfaction in the Serbian healthcare system.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted across LTC facilities in the Republic of Serbia. A ProQOL was administered to physicians, nurses, and aids, to measure compassion fatigue (including burnout and secondary traumatic stress) and compassion satisfaction. The following standardized instruments were also distributed: Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS), Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) and 12-Item Short-Form Health 36 Survey (SF-12).ResultsA total of 300 LTC workers participated, mostly women (86.3%), with an average age of 45.4 ± 10.5 years and a median work experience of 15 years (range: 1 to 42 years). The study reported a significant presence of anxiety and depression symptoms (53.3% and 43.3%, respectively), with LTC workers experiencing moderate levels of compassion fatigue, as indicated by burnout (58.3%) and stress (57.3%) subscales, and moderate or high levels of compassion satisfaction (49.0% and 50.0%, respectively). The study demonstrated that anxiety impacts depression both directly and indirectly (p<0.05). Specifically, burnout and compassion satisfaction mediated the positive effect of anxiety on depression, indicating that increased anxiety led to higher burnout and lower compassion satisfaction, which resulted in greater depression (p<0.05). The three-factor structure of the ProQOL was validated (IFI, TLI, and CFI were above the cut-off of ≥0.95, and the RMSEA was below the suggested value of ≤ 0.06). The Cronbach α of the three subscales was above 0.8, indicating good scale reliability.ConclusionThis study contributes to the broader literature on LTC workers wellbeing by examining the complex interplay between professional quality of life, anxiety, and depression. The findings should guide decision-makers in developing targeted interventions and policies that promote the psychological resilience and well-being of LTC workers, thereby enhancing both individual and organizational outcomes in the healthcare sector. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-b166afd74a7447ffaa132f24ea5e12892025-08-20T01:57:59ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-03-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.14791901479190Compassion fatigue and satisfaction among frontline staff in long term care facilities: psychometric properties of the Serbian version of the professional quality of life scaleMilutin Vracevic0Milutin Vracevic1Vedrana Pavlovic2Natasa Todorovic3Natasa Todorovic4Natasa M. Milic5Natasa M. Milic6Bojana Matejic7Predrag Brkic8Nikola V. Milic9Marko Savic10Srdjan Masic11Andrija Pavlovic12Vladislav Stanisic13Ana Tasic14Dragan Spaic15Sandra Matovic16Danijela Tiosavljevic17Danijela Tiosavljevic18Dejana Stanisavljevic19Red Cross of Serbia, Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, SerbiaInstitute for Medical Statistics and Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, SerbiaRed Cross of Serbia, Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, SerbiaInstitute for Medical Statistics and Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, SerbiaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United StatesInstitute of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, SerbiaDepartment of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, SerbiaInstitute for Medical Statistics and Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, SerbiaInstitute for Medical Statistics and Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, SerbiaDepartment for Primary Health Care and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine Foca, University of East Sarajevo, East Sarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaDepartment of Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, SerbiaInstitute for Medical Statistics and Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, SerbiaDepartment for Primary Health Care and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine Foca, University of East Sarajevo, East Sarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaDepartment for Primary Health Care and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine Foca, University of East Sarajevo, East Sarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaDepartment of Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, SerbiaClinic of Psychiatry, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, SerbiaInstitute for Medical Statistics and Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, SerbiaIntroductionThis study explored the complex relationship between anxiety, depression, compassion fatigue, and satisfaction among long-term care (LTC) workers following the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the study assessed psychometric properties of the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale, to ensure a reliable and valid instrument for identifying compassion fatigue and satisfaction in the Serbian healthcare system.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted across LTC facilities in the Republic of Serbia. A ProQOL was administered to physicians, nurses, and aids, to measure compassion fatigue (including burnout and secondary traumatic stress) and compassion satisfaction. The following standardized instruments were also distributed: Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS), Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) and 12-Item Short-Form Health 36 Survey (SF-12).ResultsA total of 300 LTC workers participated, mostly women (86.3%), with an average age of 45.4 ± 10.5 years and a median work experience of 15 years (range: 1 to 42 years). The study reported a significant presence of anxiety and depression symptoms (53.3% and 43.3%, respectively), with LTC workers experiencing moderate levels of compassion fatigue, as indicated by burnout (58.3%) and stress (57.3%) subscales, and moderate or high levels of compassion satisfaction (49.0% and 50.0%, respectively). The study demonstrated that anxiety impacts depression both directly and indirectly (p<0.05). Specifically, burnout and compassion satisfaction mediated the positive effect of anxiety on depression, indicating that increased anxiety led to higher burnout and lower compassion satisfaction, which resulted in greater depression (p<0.05). The three-factor structure of the ProQOL was validated (IFI, TLI, and CFI were above the cut-off of ≥0.95, and the RMSEA was below the suggested value of ≤ 0.06). The Cronbach α of the three subscales was above 0.8, indicating good scale reliability.ConclusionThis study contributes to the broader literature on LTC workers wellbeing by examining the complex interplay between professional quality of life, anxiety, and depression. The findings should guide decision-makers in developing targeted interventions and policies that promote the psychological resilience and well-being of LTC workers, thereby enhancing both individual and organizational outcomes in the healthcare sector.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1479190/fullcompassion fatigueanxietydepressionquality of lifelong-term care |
| spellingShingle | Milutin Vracevic Milutin Vracevic Vedrana Pavlovic Natasa Todorovic Natasa Todorovic Natasa M. Milic Natasa M. Milic Bojana Matejic Predrag Brkic Nikola V. Milic Marko Savic Srdjan Masic Andrija Pavlovic Vladislav Stanisic Ana Tasic Dragan Spaic Sandra Matovic Danijela Tiosavljevic Danijela Tiosavljevic Dejana Stanisavljevic Compassion fatigue and satisfaction among frontline staff in long term care facilities: psychometric properties of the Serbian version of the professional quality of life scale Frontiers in Psychiatry compassion fatigue anxiety depression quality of life long-term care |
| title | Compassion fatigue and satisfaction among frontline staff in long term care facilities: psychometric properties of the Serbian version of the professional quality of life scale |
| title_full | Compassion fatigue and satisfaction among frontline staff in long term care facilities: psychometric properties of the Serbian version of the professional quality of life scale |
| title_fullStr | Compassion fatigue and satisfaction among frontline staff in long term care facilities: psychometric properties of the Serbian version of the professional quality of life scale |
| title_full_unstemmed | Compassion fatigue and satisfaction among frontline staff in long term care facilities: psychometric properties of the Serbian version of the professional quality of life scale |
| title_short | Compassion fatigue and satisfaction among frontline staff in long term care facilities: psychometric properties of the Serbian version of the professional quality of life scale |
| title_sort | compassion fatigue and satisfaction among frontline staff in long term care facilities psychometric properties of the serbian version of the professional quality of life scale |
| topic | compassion fatigue anxiety depression quality of life long-term care |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1479190/full |
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