INLFUNECE OF DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES ON COMPASSION FATIGUE AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN IBADAN, NIGERIA

Abstract

Compassion fatigue (CF), the physical and mental exhaustion and loss of empathy that occurs when caring
for sick or traumatised people, is a global phenomenon experienced by diverse categories of healthcare
practitioners. In Nigeria, there is a high prevalence of CF among healthcare professionals in both public
and private hospitals, due to a complex interaction of factors. This study, therefore, investigated the roles of
gender, age, marital status, and job experience on compassion fatigue among healthcare professionals in
Ibadan, Nigeria.
Eight hundred and seventy-eight healthcare professionals (238 medical doctors, 547 nurses and 93 allied
health professionals) were conveniently selected from eighteen purposively sampled hospitals (federal: 1;
state: 2; private: 15) in Ibadan. A 39-item structured questionnaire comprising measures of personal
distress (α=0.70), job frustration (α=0.91), work pressure (α=0.81) and compassion fatigue (α=0.75) was
administered. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and
hierarchical multiple regression at p≤0.05.
Participants’ age was 36.0 ± 9.51 years; 70.9% were female, while 43.3% were health professionals from
the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH). Age (β=-0.18) and years of experience (β=0.16) independently and
jointly (R²=0.02; F=3.48) influenced CF. Gender and marital status did not significantly predict CF. This
indicate that certain demographic factors (age and work experience) also have a significant, though smaller,
predictive value. Healthcare organisations should create a conducive workplace environment to mitigate
personal distress and compassion fatigue.