Compassion Fatigue and Spiritual Leaders: A Pilot Study

Abstract

This is a pilot study on compassion fatigue experienced by spiritual leaders. The sample consisted of 15 religious affiliations with a total of 41 participants (30 males and 11 females). In this sample, spiritual leaders were not experiencing significant levels of compassion fatigue, and they were satisfied with their work. There was a significant negative correlation between satisfaction and exhaustion, r = −.62, n = 35, p < .01. Additionally, participants reported their coping strategies and support systems.

Keywords

Compassion fatigue spiritual leaders ministers burnout secondary traumatic stress emotional exhaustion

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