Purpose : This study was a correlation study conducted to confirm the effect of the self-compassion and stress coping method of nurses working at veterans hospitals caring for veterans on compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. Method : The study subjects were 148 general nurses who worked for more than a year in the general ward of veterans hospitals located in four areas: Seoul, Daejeon, Daegu, and Busan. Results : The degree of self compassion was 3.20 out of 5 points (SD = 0.41). Scores were high for each sub-factor in the following order: mindfulness at 2.88 points (SD = 0.68), common humanity at 2.80 points (SD = 0.65), self-kindness at 2.68 points (SD = 0.64), over identification at 2.57 points (SD = 0.73), self-judgment at 2.46 points (SD = 0.44), and isolation at 2.12 points (SD = 0.077). For stress coping method, the sub-factor active coping was 2.41 (SD = 0.37) out of 4 points, meaning it was used more than passive coping at 2.25 points (SD = 0.36). The variable that showed a difference of 3.07 (SD = 0.60) out of 5 points was whether or not the nurses had family members that were veterans. Compassion satisfaction was 2.84 (SD = 0.62) out of 5 points, which was lower than compassion fatigue. The following variables are the ones that showed differences: age, single or married, and whether or not they had any hobbies. There was a positive correlation between compassion fatigue for the presence or absence of veterans among family members (r = .210, ρ = .010) and compassion satisfaction (r = .199, ρ = .015). Compassion fatigue was found to be negatively correlated with over identification (r = -.206, ρ = .012) when it came to self-compassion. Compassion satisfaction for age (r = .215, ρ = .009), marriage (r = .196, ρ = .017), hobbies (r = .266, ρ = .001), and self-compassion (r = .291, p < .001) were all positively correlated. Among the sub-factors for compassion satisfaction, self-kindness (r = .169, ρ = .040) and mindfulness (r = .280, ρ = .001) were positively correlated. The other sub-factors, self-judgement (r = -.209, ρ = .011), isolation (r = -.230, ρ = .005), and over identification (r = -.234, ρ = .004), were all found to be negatively correlated. Compassion satisfaction also showed a positive correlation for stress coping method with active coping (r = .313, p < .001) and compassion fatigue (r = .199, p = .015). As a result of exploring the factors affecting compassion fatigue, the presence or absence of veterans among family members (t = 2.517, p = .013) and self-compassion (t = -2.019, p = .045) appeared as significant factors of influence. In other words, the compassion fatigue score was higher in nurses that had family members who were veterans as well as in nurses who did not use self-compassion as much as others. Factors influencing compassion satisfaction were hobbies (t = 2.165, p = .032), active coping (t = 3.969, p < .001), and passive coping (t = -3.218, p = .002). In other words, the more hobbies and active coping and less passive coping nurses had, the higher the compassion satisfaction score. Conclusion : Self-compassion had an effect on compassion fatigue of nurses working in the veterans hospital wards. The coping method also had an effect on the sympathy satisfaction of the ward nurses. It is necessary to encourage personal hobbies or self-development in order to increase the compassion satisfaction of the nurses. In addition, it is necessary to develop and apply programs to help the nurses positively cope with stressful situations by utilizing the appropriate methods to cope with stress in the clinical field. Suggestion : Self-compassion is a major factor in lowering compassion fatigue and a method that can be used to protect and have a positive impact on the nurses working at veterans hospitals. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the mediating effect between self-compassion and compassion fatigue or self-compassion and compassion satisfaction.
Moreover, the use of appropriate methods to cope with stress is a major factor that can increase compassion satisfaction. For this reason, development and education on coping method utilization programs should be actively pursued in the clinical field.