OBJECTIVE

This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence and factors associated with compassion satisfaction and fatigue among oncology healthcare professionals (doctors and nurses) in mainland China.

METHODS

A total of 337 subjects were recruited via convenience sampling from the oncology departments of five general hospitals in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. They were invited to complete a survey that included demographic characteristics, the Profession Quality of life Scale, the Brief Cope Questionnaire, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale.

RESULTS

The findings showed medium levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress among oncology healthcare professionals in China, reaching rates of 78.34%, 63.50% and 75.96%, respectively. Multiple regression analyses suggested that active coping, positive reframing, and strength were the significant factors of compassion satisfaction, explaining 48.6% of the total variance ( ​< ​0.001). Substance use and self-blame were the significant factors of burnout, explaining 45.1% of the total variance ( ​< ​0.001). Venting, denial, substance use, self-blame, and strength were the significant factors of secondary traumatic stress, explaining 37.6% of the total variance ( ​< ​0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The high prevalence of compassion fatigue warrants the attention of the hospitals' senior management. The effective coping styles identified may be considered when developing strategies to improve the professional quality of life among oncology healthcare professionals.