Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

435

Date

2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Counseling

Committee Chair

N. Dewayne Rice

Committee Member

Steven Leierer

Committee Member

Richard James

Committee Member

Pam Cogdal

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a difference between levels of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout among police officers in regard to years of experience adn whether or not they had experienced a previous perceived trauma. Commissioned police officers from a large urban police department in the Mid-South (N = 1,390) participated in the survey, which included a demographic survey, a trauma indicator, and the ProQol inventory which is comprised of three sub-scales: compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout. Each of the three sub-scales have a range from 0 (low compassion fatigue, high compassion satisfaction, and low burnout) to 50 (high compassion fatigue, low compassion satisfaction, and high burnout). This study posed six questions related to levels of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout among police officers who had experienced a previous perceived trauma compared to those who had not and also their years of experience. The results were analyzed usign a 3X2 MANOVA. The first three questions compared compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout scores to officers who had experienced a previous perceived trauma compared to those who had not. There was a significant difference in question one in regardsto compassion fatigue scores [F(1,1389) = 53.00, p < .0005, partial η2 = .040]. There was a significant difference in question 2 in regards to compassion satisfaction scores F(1,1389) = 8.00, p < .0005, partial η2 = .060]. There was a significant difference in question 3 in regards to burnout scores F(1,1389) = 35.00, p < .0005, partial η2 = .030]. Questions 4 through 6 compared officers' compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout scores to those who had experienced a previous perceived trauma or not and the years of experience of the officers (0-3 years, 3-10 years, and more than 10 years of experience). There was a significant difference in question 4 in regards to the compasion fatigue scores F(2,1384) = 3.83, p < .05, partial η2 = .006]. There was not a significant difference in question 5 in regards to compassion satisfaction scores F(2,1384) = 2.75, p> .05, partial η2 = .004]. There was not a significant difference in question 6 in regards to burnout scores F(2,1384) = 1.46, p> .05, partial η2 = .002]. Results indicate that officers who have had a previous perceived trauma have higher rates of compassion fatigue, lower rates of compassion satisfaction, and higher rates of burnout than officers who have not had a previous perceived trauma. The results also indicate that years of experience may affect compassion fatigue in police officers.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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