Burnout, compassion for others and fear of compassion: a quantitative study in Iranian nurses

INTRODUCTION: Occupational burnout in nurses is a barrier to job promotion and achievement of job-related goals, resulting in reduced hospital performance. OBJECTIVE: Considering the importance of the role of compassion in occupational burnout among nurses, this cross-sectional study aimed to explore the burnout levels and their relationships with compassion for others and fear of compassion. METHODS: This descriptive correlation study was carried out with 216 nurses who were selected using a multistage cluster sampling method and asked to respond to the Maslach Burnout Inventory, a compassion for others scale and Fears of Compassion Scales (FCS), which includes three subscales; fears of compassion for self, compassion for others, and compassion from others. RESULTS: The results showed that burnout had a negative correlation with compassion for others, but had positive correlations with fear of compassion for others, fear of compassion from others, and fear of self-compassion. Moreover, the results of regression analysis showed that 21% of burnout variance was explained by compassion for others and 29% of its variance was explained by fears of compassion scales. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings, compassion can be considered as a protective factor in preventing burnout among nurses.