The Prevalence and Benefits of Self-Compassion Among Professional Caregivers.
J Am Med Dir Assoc
; 25(8): 105099, 2024 Aug.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38901466
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Self-compassion is a healthy way of responding to challenges that may help long-term care professional caregivers (ie, nursing assistants and personal care aides) cope with stress, but its use may vary in important ways. This study explored the relationships between self-compassion and caregiver demographic characteristics, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and job satisfaction in a large racially/ethnically diverse sample of professional caregivers.DESIGN:
Cross-sectional self-report questionnaire. SETTING ANDPARTICIPANTS:
A total of 391 professional caregivers, including nursing assistants and personal care aides from 10 nursing homes and 3 assisted living communities in New York, California, and North Carolina.METHODS:
Professional caregivers were invited to complete an online questionnaire regarding stress and coping. Self-compassion was measured using the Self-Compassion for Youth Scale; anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed using standardized screeners; and job satisfaction was assessed via an item used in a national survey. Self-compassion scores were represented by total scores and individual subscale scores. Analysis of variance was used to examine differences in self-compassion scores based on demographic characteristics, and correlation coefficients were used to explore relationships between self-compassion and mental health symptoms and job satisfaction.RESULTS:
Significant differences were found in self-compassion based on age, race/ethnicity, place of birth, and education. In general, older caregivers, caregivers with higher education, and caregivers born outside the United States had the highest self-compassion, whereas White caregivers had the lowest self-compassion. Self-compassion was negatively associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms and positively associated with job satisfaction. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Professional caregivers' use of self-compassion to cope with challenges may depend on characteristics and life experiences influenced by their sociocultural background. Given the link between self-compassion and lower mental health symptoms and higher job satisfaction, it may be helpful to design and implement interventions with these differences in mind.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Empatía
/
Satisfacción en el Trabajo
Límite:
Adult
/
Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Am Med Dir Assoc
Asunto de la revista:
HISTORIA DA MEDICINA
/
MEDICINA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article