The effect of mindfulness and self-compassion levels of nurses on compassion fatigue

This study was conducted as a descriptive and correlational research to examine the effect of nurses' levels of mindfulness and self-compassion on compassion fatigue. The study was carried out between March and June 2024 with 200 nurses working at a state hospital through face-to-face interviews. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale–Short Form, the Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form, and the Compassion Fatigue–Short Scale. In addition to descriptive statistics, data were analyzed using Independent Samples t-test, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis. According to the findings, nurses had above-average levels of mindfulness and self-compassion, while their compassion fatigue levels were below average. It was found that mindfulness and self-compassion were negatively correlated with compassion fatigue. A one-unit increase in mindfulness led to a 0.422-unit decrease in compassion fatigue, and a one-unit increase in self-compassion led to a 0.957-unit decrease in compassion fatigue. The established model explained 21.1% of the variance (R² = 0.211). Based on these results, it is thought that increasing nurses' levels of mindfulness and self-compassion may contribute to reducing compassion fatigue. It is recommended that interventions aimed at enhancing nurses' mindfulness and self-compassion levels be planned, and further advanced studies be conducted.