title: Compassion Fatigue Among Palliative Care Clinicians: Findings on Personality Factors and Years of Service.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Palliative medicine is a rewarding field, but providers encounter patient trauma on a routine basis. Compassion fatigue, marked by burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and low satisfaction may result. However, professionals differ markedly in how they respond to patient trauma. The objective of the current study was to determine whether personality traits of neuroticism and agreeableness relate to aspects of compassion fatigue, after accounting for time spent working in the field.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-six palliative medicine physicians, nurses, social workers, and chaplains completed validated measures of personality traits, compassion fatigue, and work background.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Providers who had worked longer reported higher levels of satisfaction and lower levels of burnout. Neuroticism demonstrated strong significant associations with secondary traumatic stress and burnout ( Ps < .001). Agreeableness was significantly and strongly associated with compassion satisfaction ( P < .001). These associations held after accounting for years spent working in the field.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Personality traits of neuroticism and agreeableness may convey risk and resilience, respectively, for palliative care professionals. More research is needed to determine if assessing personality traits can help identify providers at risk for adverse reactions to patient trauma.
authors.affiliation: 1 Section of Palliative Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Mahony
authors.affiliation: 2 Section of Psychosocial Oncology, Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Maisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ziadni
authors.affiliation: 3 Tulane Cancer Center, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoerger
authors.affiliation: 4 Section of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Stacie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.affiliation: 4 Section of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Aliza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baron
authors.affiliation: 2 Section of Psychosocial Oncology, Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gerhart
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000453:epidemiology; D002977:Clergy / Q000523:psychology; D000068376:Compassion Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology*; D010551:Personality; D011788:Quality of Life; D000068217:Social Workers / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: agreeableness; burnout; compassion fatigue; compassion satisfaction; neuroticism; palliative care; personality; secondary traumatic stress