Researchers: Rabia Khalaila

Background: There is extensive professional literature on compassion fatigue among professional caregivers, yet very few studies of the phenomenon among informal family caregivers of an elderly relative.

Objectives: To examine the association between caregiving burden and compassion fatigue (burnout, secondary traumatization), and compassion satisfaction among informal caregivers; and to examine models of mediation (social support and coping style) and moderation effect (emotional empathy) in these associations.

Method: The cross-sectional study studied 300 informal caregivers of an elderly parent from the Arab community in Israel. Data gathering was accomplished through face-to-face interviews in Arabic using structured questionnaires. Linear regression analyses were applied to the hypotheses using bootstrapping models.

Findings: About 20%-45% of the caregivers suffer from various symptoms of compassion fatigue. A positive correlation was found between caregiving burden and burnout and secondary traumatization. These associations were found to be partially mediated by disengagement coping and perceived social support. A negative correlation was found between burden and compassion satisfaction of the care. This association was found to be partially mediated by disengagement coping. Findings showed that emotional empathy moderates the association between caregiving burden and burnout.

Conclusions: Compassion fatigue exists among informal caregivers in the Arab community in Israel. The current study shows that compassion fatigue may be reduced by lessening burden of care, reinforcing social support, and reducing the use of disengagement coping. Decreased emotional empathy by the caregiver is likely to be protection against the harmful effects of caregiving burden on burnout.

Recommendations: Policymakers should offer intervention programs to lessen the risk of compassion fatigue and burden of care among caregivers at risk, by providing a support system (social and emotional) and consulting on efficient coping with care relatives. New legislation should ensure socioeconomic security for caregivers.

Research end date: 12/2020