Mediating role of self-compassion on the relationship between early maladaptive schema domains and secondary traumatic stress of refugee aid workers

The present study aimed to examine the role of self-compassion on the relationship between early maladaptive schema domains and secondary traumatic stress of refugee aid workers. In this correlational study, purposive sampling was used. 116 participants from different institutions in Turkey participated voluntarily in the research. Their age range was between 23 and 64. The data was collected through Turkish versions of Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form Version 3 (YSQ-SF3), Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS), and Self-compassion Scale (SCS). The demographic information of the participants was collected through the form developed by the researcher. The results of the research showed that there are significant relationships among the variables. Moreover, self-compassion had a medium to large effect size on the relationship between early maladaptive schema domains except for Impaired Limits and secondary traumatic stress of refugee aid workers considering the mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between early maladaptive schema domains and secondary traumatic stress. The findings of the current study were discussed within the scope of relevant literature. Implications of the study, limitations of the study, and future suggestions were presented.