Cultivating Self-Compassion to Improve Social Workers’ Professional Quality of Life in Primary Healthcare

TL;DR

This study explores how self-compassion affects the professional well-being of social workers in healthcare settings.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of self-compassion as a factor influencing professional quality of life in social work.

Findings

High levels of self-compassion were observed in 43.2% of participants.

Self-compassion was strongly linked to better professional quality of life outcomes.

Supportive environments reduced burnout and increased compassion fulfillment.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Although self-compassion practice has been increasingly popular in the literature in recent years, the area of social work knows very little about it. To be self-compassionate is to treat oneself with love and respect. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between social workers’ professional quality of life (compassion satisfaction, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout) and self-compassion. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study consisted of 177 social workers in primary healthcare (PHC) in Greece. The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5), and the participants’ personal, demographic, and professional information were all included in an electronic questionnaire that they had to fill out. Results: This study’s findings show that, although 43.2% of participants exhibited high levels of self-compassion, burnout and secondary traumatic stress were at low-to-moderate levels among the participants. Apart from the secondary traumatic stress and humanity dimensions, both the dimensions and the overall self-compassion scale showed a strong relationship with the aspects of professional quality of life. Burnout and secondary traumatic stress were significantly reduced, and compassion fulfilment were increased in environments that were supportive, socially supportive, work-related, hobby-filled, and religious. Conclusions: The integration of self-compassion into a comprehensive and methodical approach to employee wellness has the potential to enhance the physical and mental health of workers in healthcare environments.