Abstract
Approximately 82–94% of individuals seeking counseling have experienced some sort of lifetime trauma (Bride, 2004). Mental health providers who work with trauma survivors are at increased risk of developing negative compassion outcomes (i.e., fatigue, burnout, and/or secondary traumatic stress, lower compassion satisfaction) (Sabin-Farrell & Turpin, 2003; McCann & Pearlman, 1990; Stamm, 1999; Jenkins & Baird, 2002). This study aimed to examine the moderating effects that self-care could have on various compassion outcomes among mental health providers who work with individuals with a history of childhood trauma. Mental health providers (N = 371; 94.1% female; Mean age = 47.12, SD = 12.52, range = 22–79 years) were surveyed regarding their level of self-care, history of adverse childhood experiences, and the degree of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction experienced. Results indicated that mental health providers who endorsed a history of adverse childhood events (82%) also endorsed greater negative compassion outcomes than those who did not have a history. Endorsement of self-care activities was a significant predictor of compassion satisfaction (t = 7.12, p < .001; Adj. R2=.26, F(6,364)=22.52, p < .001) and burnout (t = –9.20, p < .001; Adj. R 2=.45, F(6,364)=50.64, p < .001) in the expected directions. Self-care served as a moderator between adverse childhood events and burnout (t = 2.67, p = xx). Overall, results of this study support the idea that self-care is an effective method for decreasing negative compassion outcomes among mental health providers working with trauma, thus highlighting the importance of developing effective training programs promoting self-care awareness and implementation in both personal and professional settings.