Exploring Mindful Self-Care as a Potential Mediator between Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue among Student Services Professionals

Higher education professionals are subject to high levels of stress as they support student populations at risk of trauma. Compassion fatigue, which represents dimensions of secondary traumatic stress and burnout, is associated with a poorer health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among those providing student services. Prior studies on helping professionals have found that mindful self-care mediates the relationship between compassion satisfaction, the positive aspects of helping others in one’s role, and compassion fatigue, but this has not been sufficiently explored in this population. A total of 559 respondents (faculty, students, and staff) who provide non-instructional support across 23 student service areas at 22 comprehensive regional universities completed a cross-sectional survey assessing mindful self-care, professional quality of life and HRQOL. Path analyses were conducted using EQS 6.4 software to test one model controlled for age, progressing from compassion satisfaction to mindful self-care, to compassion fatigue, to HRQOL. Mindful self-care, particularly supportive structure, mediated the relationship between compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue. Compassion satisfaction was positively associated with HRQOL through mindful self-care and compassion fatigue. Institutions seeking to address compassion fatigue and promote well-being should implement policies to facilitate self-care by ensuring manageable workloads and balancing internal and external demands.