Abstract:
Compassion fatigue (CF) is commonly experienced among those in the helping
professions due to the high pressure and relational nature of their work environments. Among
helping professionals where CF has been well-studied (e.g., nurses and social workers), CF has
been associated with negative physical, psychological, and professional consequences. Self-care
practices are inversely associated with CF, and self-care interventions have shown promise to
decrease levels of CF among helping professionals. Compassion fatigue and self-care have not
been well studied in registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs). The purpose of this mixed methods
study was to assess RDNs’ awareness and current level of CF and identify their current self-care
practices through an online survey and virtual mini focus groups. A sample of 96 RDNs
affiliated with the Indiana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics participated in the survey, and
five survey respondents participated in the subsequent virtual mini focus groups. Findings
revealed that nearly half of participants surveyed had a previous awareness of CF, while a greater
proportion had a previous awareness of self-care. Participants reported relatively good
professional quality of life with moderate average levels of compassion satisfaction, low to
moderate average levels of burnout, and low average levels of secondary traumatic stress. The
participants reported engaging in various forms of self-care with behaviors from the Supportive
Relationship and Supportive Structure domains reported as the most common forms of self-care.
Additionally, higher Mindful Self-Care Scale scores were positively correlated with compassion
satisfaction and inversely correlated with burnout and secondary traumatic stress among the
sample. The virtual mini focus group participants perceived that RDNs are at risk for CF and
expressed they believe it is important for RDNs and dietetics students to learn about their
professional risk for CF as well as strengths and strategies to improve self-care for personal and
professional wellbeing. In conclusion, although participants reported relatively high professional
quality of life and currently engage in self-care behaviors, participants perceived compassion
fatigue as an occupational risk and believe self-care is important for maintaining their wellbeing
and mitigating compassion fatigue.
