Relationship between spiritual well-being and perceived stress with compassion fatigue among mental health professionals

The aim of this study was to examine compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout levels among mental health professionals in Turkey in relation to perceived stress and spiritual well-being. In addition, comparative analyses were conducted to explore differences in compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction based on participants' sociodemographic characteristics. The sample consisted of 167 mental health professionals residing in Turkey, aged between 23 and 55. Data were collected through a questionnaire including a Demographic Information Form, Professional Quality of Life Scale, Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and Perceived Stress Scale. The analysis of data obtained in the study was conducted using Jamovi software. To examine the relationships among compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, burnout, spiritual well-being, and perceived stress, Correlation analyses were performed. The results revealed that perceived stress was positively correlated with compassion fatigue and burnout, and negatively correlated with compassion satisfaction and spiritual well-being. To assess whether compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction scores differed by sociodemographic variables, Welch ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and One-Way ANOVA were used where appropriate. Stepwise Multiple Linear Regression analyses were conducted to determine the predictors of the outcome variables. Findings indicated that perceived stress significantly predicted compassion fatigue, while existential well-being negatively predicted compassion satisfaction and positively predicted burnout. To test the mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between spiritual well-being and compassion fatigue, a mediation analysis was conducted using the MedMod module in Jamovi. The results indicated that perceived stress fully mediated the relationship between spiritual well-being and compassion fatigue. These findings suggest that compassion fatigue and professional burnout are not solely influenced by external work-related factors, but also by internal variables such as stress perception and the search for meaning. In this context, it is recommended that supportive interventions for mental health professionals incorporate spiritual resources and internal mechanisms aimed at enhancing psychological resilience. The findings of this study were interpreted and discussed in light of the existing literature. Keywords: Compassion fatigue, Burnout, Compassion satisfaction, Spiritual well-being, Perceived stress, Existential well-being