Date of Award

6-2018

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Chang, Janet

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore Filipino service care providers’ experience of compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is a common experience among health care professionals and can contribute to feelings of hopelessness and adverse behaviors in caring for patients. In California, there are a large number of Filipinos who are employed as care providers for older adults; however, there is limited research available regarding Filipino workers in the United States. This study took on a qualitative design that utilized face-to-face interviews to gain more insight into Filipino service care providers’ experience of compassion fatigue in relation to their employment. Factors that were explored in interviews were exposure to terminally ill individuals, coping and self-care strategies, and working environments. The results of this study indicated participants appeared to experience compassion satisfaction, rather than compassion fatigue. Furthermore, recommendations for future research were discussed. These recommendations included the need to explore experiences of compassion satisfaction in this population and to look into the experience of Filipino service care providers who were born in the United States, rather than in the Philippines, to determine whether Filipino cultural values of caring can act as a buffer against the effects of compassion fatigue.

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