Emotional Intelligence as Predictor of Compassion Fatigue among Mental Health Practitioners

Abstract

More than half of the professionals working with vulnerable population in high-income countries suffer from compassion fatigue, which has detrimental effects on mental health practitioners’ wellbeing. This study was aimed at investigating the role of emotional intelligence in predicting compassion fatigue among mental health practitioners. Data collection was undertaken using surveys incorporating the Professional Quality of Life-5 and the Emotional Competency Inventory 2.0. Mental health practitioners from Northern Uganda participated with 207 respondents returning completed surveys. Data analysis procedures were undertaken using Fisher’s exact test and logistical regression. The statistical hypotheses were tested at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. The results revealed that self-management (p = 0.003) and social awareness (p = 0.039) had a statistically significant effect on the prediction of compassion fatigue in mental health practitioners. The results equally indicated that respondents who recorded low levels of self-management were 4 times more likely to report compassion fatigue than those who had registered high levels of self-management. It was also found that a relative increase in social awareness was associated with a lower rating of compassion fatigue (OR = 1.24). Based on these findings, recommendations were made to include emotional intelligence as an integral component of training and incorporate emotional intelligence intervention techniques to benefit mental health practitioners in managing compassion fatigue.