Effect of professional ownership on compassion fatigue and quality of life among midwives

Aim: This study aims to determine the effect of professional ownership on compassion fatigue and quality of life among midwives. Material and method: This descriptive, relational screening study was conducted with 410 midwives working in the primary and secondary health institutions in Malatya province between July 2020 and 2021. Data were collected through the Personal Information Form, Midwifery Ownership Scale, the Compassion Fatigue-Short Scale, and the Work-related Quality of Life Scale. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using descriptive statistical analyses (numbers, percentages, means, standard deviation), Pearson correlation, and regression analysis. Results: The average age of the participating midwives was found 33.02 years, and 76.6% had an undergraduate degree, 62.4% were married, 46.8 % had income equal to expenses, 50.0 % did not have children, 90.7% did not find the salary they received as midwives sufficient, 58.3% preferred midwifery profession because they did not want to have problems in finding a job, 30.7% currently worked in an FHC, 89.8% did not have an administrative duty in the institution, 48.5% worked in shifts, and the total duration in service was 9.08 years on average. No significant relationships were found between the professional ownership total mean score and secondary trauma, professional burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction mean scores (p>0.05). A low-level, negative relationship was found between professional ownership total mean score and the burnout sub-scale of work-related quality of life, and a medium-level, positive, and statistically significant relationship was found with professional satisfaction (p<0.001). In addition, professional satisfaction was found to have a 20% significance ratio in explaining midwifery ownership (p˂0.001), and burnout was found to have an 8% statistical significance ratio in explaining midwifery ownership (p˂0.05). Conclusion: This study found that burnout sub-scale of work-related quality of life decreased and professional satisfaction increased with the increase in professional ownership among midwives. Keywords: Midwifery, Professional ownership, compassion fatigue, quality of life