Stressful Factors, Experiences of Compassion Fatigue and Self-care Strategies in Police Officers

Police officers routinely face stressful and possibly traumatic events in their work which may result in them experiencing compassion fatigue. The aim of this study was to explore compassion fatigue experiences in police officers, along with the stressful factors that may lead to compassion fatigue and the coping strategies they use in combating compassion fatigue. The convenience sample of 41 police officers was recruited via social media focused on police work. Data were collected using an online battery of questionnaires with open-ended questions prompting them to share their experiences of compassion fatigue, stress factors and self-care strategies. The data were analysed using deductive (theoretical) thematic analysis. After identifying recurring statements, statements were coded using pre-existing individual codes, and each statement was categorized into the emerging domains, subdomains, categories and subcategories. The results described the stressful factors and experiences of compassion fatigue as well as coping strategies in the 7 domains described by Figley in Front Psychol 9:2793, 2002b: emotional, behavioural, personal relations, somatic, spiritual, cognitive and work performance.