Abstract
Background: Globally, nurses experience high rates of compassion fatigue (CF) and low compassion satisfaction (CS), especially in Asian regions (Xie et al., 2021). As a core feature of professional nursing identity, compassionate care delivery fosters positive patient outcomes, workforce productivity and growth, and organizational thriving (Ghafourifard et al., 2022; Robinson et al., 2024). Compassionate leadership is a dynamic process that engenders an organizational culture that values compassion for the betterment of others (Ramachandran et al., 2024; Shuck et al., 2019). There is a crucial need to understand factors associated with CS and CF while examining nursing leadership styles that can support compassionate care delivery.
Purpose: This presentation will provide an overview of: 1) results of a comparison between, and factors associated with, CS and CF among nurses in institutions in the U.S. and China, and 2) a discussion on compassionate leadership as a leadership style to foster workplace thriving.
Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of surveys obtained from 350 nurses from an academic-medical center in the U.S., and 1044 nurses from 11 tertiary hospitals in China. Measures from the Professional Quality of Life Scale (PROQOL) assessing compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout (BO), and secondary traumatic stress (STS) were obtained. Comparisons in scores between U.S. and China-based respondents were made by nursing subspecialty. Multiple-variate regression analyses was used to examine demographic, behavioral, and work-related factors associated with CS, BO, and STS.
Results: Compared to U.S. nurses, nurses in China had lower CS (M=32.6, SD=6.5 vs. M=37.9, SD=6.5), but higher BO (M=27.4, SD=5.3 vs. M=24.3, SD=6.1) and STS (M=26.9, SD=5.1 vs. M=22.9, SD=6.1) scores. Multiple regression analyses showed similar and distinct demographic, behavioral, and workplace-related factors associated with CF. A directed search of the literature shows that relational leadership styles (e.g., compassionate leadership) are associated with better patient and workforce outcomes.
Implications: With the increasing medical complexity of patient populations and challenges in providing care within dynamic work settings, there is a critical need to discover nursing leadership models to develop healthcare systems in which nurses can meaningfully engage, develop professionally, and thrive. Such leadership is needed to minimize the impact of CF and enhance CS among nurses.
Notes
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References:
1. Ghafourifard, M., Zamanzadeh, V., Valizadeh, L., & Rahmani, A. (2022). Compassionate Nursing Care Model: Results from a grounded theory study. Nursing Ethics, 29(3), 621-635. https://doi.org/10.1177/09697330211051005
2. Ramachandran, S., Balasubramanian, S., James, W. F., & Al Masaeid, T. (2024). Whither compassionate leadership? A systematic review. Management Review Quarterly, 74(3), 1473-1557. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-023-00340-w
3. Robinson, J., Raphael, D., Moeke-Maxwell, T., Parr, J., Gott, M., & Slark, J. (2024). Implementing interventions to improve compassionate nursing care: A literature review. International Nursing Review, 71(3), 457-467. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12910
4. Shuck, B., Alagaraja, M., Immekus, J., Cumberland, D., & Honeycutt-Elliott, M. (2019). Does Compassion Matter in Leadership? A Two-Stage Sequential Equal Status Mixed Method Exploratory Study of Compassionate Leader Behavior and Connections to Performance in Human Resource Development. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 30(4), 537-564. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21369
5. Xie, W., Chen, L., Feng, F., Okoli, C. T. C., Tang, P., Zeng, L., Jin, M., Zhang, Y., & Wang, J. (2021). The prevalence of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue among nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Nurs Stud, 120, 103973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.103973
Sigma Membership
Delta Psi at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Cross-Sectional
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Global Leadership, Stress and Coping, Sustainable Development Goals, Leadership, Nursing Practice, Fatigue (Physiology), Secondary Traumatic Stress, Satisfaction, Work Environment
Recommended Citation
Okoli, Chizimuzo T.C., "Compassionate Care as Nursing Leadership for Mitigating Fatigue and Boosting Thriving Environments" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 322.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/322
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-09-29
Compassionate Care as Nursing Leadership for Mitigating Fatigue and Boosting Thriving Environments
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: Globally, nurses experience high rates of compassion fatigue (CF) and low compassion satisfaction (CS), especially in Asian regions (Xie et al., 2021). As a core feature of professional nursing identity, compassionate care delivery fosters positive patient outcomes, workforce productivity and growth, and organizational thriving (Ghafourifard et al., 2022; Robinson et al., 2024). Compassionate leadership is a dynamic process that engenders an organizational culture that values compassion for the betterment of others (Ramachandran et al., 2024; Shuck et al., 2019). There is a crucial need to understand factors associated with CS and CF while examining nursing leadership styles that can support compassionate care delivery.
Purpose: This presentation will provide an overview of: 1) results of a comparison between, and factors associated with, CS and CF among nurses in institutions in the U.S. and China, and 2) a discussion on compassionate leadership as a leadership style to foster workplace thriving.
Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of surveys obtained from 350 nurses from an academic-medical center in the U.S., and 1044 nurses from 11 tertiary hospitals in China. Measures from the Professional Quality of Life Scale (PROQOL) assessing compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout (BO), and secondary traumatic stress (STS) were obtained. Comparisons in scores between U.S. and China-based respondents were made by nursing subspecialty. Multiple-variate regression analyses was used to examine demographic, behavioral, and work-related factors associated with CS, BO, and STS.
Results: Compared to U.S. nurses, nurses in China had lower CS (M=32.6, SD=6.5 vs. M=37.9, SD=6.5), but higher BO (M=27.4, SD=5.3 vs. M=24.3, SD=6.1) and STS (M=26.9, SD=5.1 vs. M=22.9, SD=6.1) scores. Multiple regression analyses showed similar and distinct demographic, behavioral, and workplace-related factors associated with CF. A directed search of the literature shows that relational leadership styles (e.g., compassionate leadership) are associated with better patient and workforce outcomes.
Implications: With the increasing medical complexity of patient populations and challenges in providing care within dynamic work settings, there is a critical need to discover nursing leadership models to develop healthcare systems in which nurses can meaningfully engage, develop professionally, and thrive. Such leadership is needed to minimize the impact of CF and enhance CS among nurses.
Description
The nursing workforce faces ongoing shortages and turnover rates that are untenable to meet the growing global healthcare needs. Compassionate care remains a bedrock of nursing delivery for fostering patient and professional outcomes. This study compares findings of compassion fatigue among a sample of nurses from the U.S. and China. Results are discussed in the context of compassionate care as a critical nursing leadership style that fosters work environments conducive to thriving in nursing.