The Crisis of Caring: Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue among Student Conduct and Behavior Intervention Professionals

• Main Author: Bernstein Chernoff, Cara Rachel
• Format: Others
• Published: Scholar Commons 2016
• Subjects: Burnout; Secondary Traumatic Stress; Higher Education Administration; Student Affairs; Pro-QOL 5; Educational Administration and Supervision; Higher Education and Teaching
• Online Access: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6066; http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7262&context=etd

The purpose of this study was to explore the self-perception of compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout by student conduct administrators working in the United States of America. Additionally, this study looked at the years of experience, job responsibilities, on-call responsibilities and direct student contact hours which may impact an individual’s overall professional quality of life. To accomplish the objectives outlined in the purpose statement, the following research questions were explored: 1. What is the relationship between student conduct professionals’ compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress? 2. What is the relationship between student conduct professionals’ years of experience and compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress? 3. What is the relationship between student conduct professionals’ responsibility areas and compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress? 4. What is the relationship between student affairs professionals serving in an on-call capacity and compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress? 5. What is the relationship between student conduct professionals’ amount of direct student contact and the compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress? This study utilized a quantitative methodology to collect data. For the purposes of this study, members of the Association for Student Conduct Administration were selected as the intended sample population. The study sample was comprised of 381 individuals (n=381). The web-based survey included Stamm’s (2010) Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), closed-ended questions as well as a demographic survey. The study findings indicated that student conduct and behavior intervention professionals exhibited average levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Correlations within the study sample existed negatively between compassion satisfaction and secondary traumatic stress with a positive correlation between burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Statistically significant results included the relationship between compassion satisfaction and the job responsibilities of academic integrity and alternative dispute resolution. Additionally, a statistically significant finding between burnout and the job responsibilities of student organizational conduct and Title IX investigation and adjudication. Lastly, a statistically significant difference between hours of direct student contact hours and secondary traumatic stress as well as a statistically significant predictor between hours of direct student contact hours and compassion satisfaction were established.