Compassion Fatigue Research Paper

When writing a research paper there are several steps in the process and a problem formulation or statement should reflect what is being proven or measured from the topic or subject that is researched. This paper will identify the problem which is Are social workers at a higher-risk for compassion fatigue or burnout because of job stress? Or social workers are at a higher-risk for compassion fatigue or burnout because of job related stress. Furthermore, a brief description of what will be investigated will also be discussed such as the warning signs of compassion fatigue and burnout to name one example. In addition, the areas of social work that are affected by compassion fatigue are a social worker’s health and well-being along with job performance

Occupations that can be affected include nurses, social workers, and care givers because all of these occupations can be stressful or cause compassion fatigue and burnout. Problem Identification

When looking at the problem which is are social workers at a higher-risk of compassion fatigue or burnout because of occupational stress? Different questions come to mind such as what occupations have a high risk of stress and what causes it? However, there are several jobs that can be stressful such as firemen, police, emergency workers, and doctors to name a few examples. In addition, many occupations can cause job burnout but what contributes to this and what can be done to prevent it? Compassion fatigue is different but has many of the symptoms that are similar to burnout, however, there is a difference. According to Dr. Charles Figley, 2013, compassion fatigue is “a state experienced by those helping people or animals in distress; it is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress for the helper." The symptoms of compassion fatigue in normal individuals can include “excessive blaming,

There are twelve phases of burnout which include a compulsion to prove oneself, working harder, neglecting one's own needs, and withdrawal” to name a few examples. (SAMHSA, 2009, p.1). Compassion fatigue can also have commonalities with PTSD and understanding the differences is important because compassion fatigue is a secondary stress issue and post-traumatic stress syndrome is a serious mental health issue. Similarities between compassion fatigue and burnout are some of the symptoms may overlap but they are separate disorders. When reflecting upon these disorders some other questions that can be asked are what causes these problems in social work? How can social workers protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout? Secondary trauma can be caused from dealing with the effects of dealing with other people’s problems on a daily basis and burnout can be caused from stresses related to the job