Social Work Graduates Compassion-Fatigue Study

Indianapolis, IN

Many studies focus on social problems, yet few studies examine the public servants dealing with these social problems and their levels of fatigue as a result of dealing with the high emotional demands of the profession. This study examines the trends of these demands in the social work profession specifically and how they influence a social work graduate’s level of compassion and fatigue based on their years of service in the field. The compassion-fatigue scale was given to graduates of a Bachelor’s or Master’s level social work program from a private Christian liberal arts college in rural Indiana. Results will provide insights into how compassion fatigue varies among newly graduated individuals versus veterans in the field. The implications can be utilized to assist agencies in providing safety net programming for direct care workers, and, in addition, emphasizes the importance of self-care.