Abstract
While the entire world is in the midst of the fight against the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the medical frontline workers have become renowned heroes, receiving praise and cheers from streets and balconies across continents. However, behind this heroic picture lies the daily agony of dealing with the huge influx of patients while risking their own health due to consistent exposure to a contagious disease, which makes them more susceptible to developing mental health concerns. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of Compassion Fatigue (CF) and Psychological Well-being (PWB) of 105 COVID-19 ward nurses in Marikina City, Philippines, as moderated by Spiritual Orientation (SO). The data were gathered through self-report standardized tests; namely Professional Quality of Life version 5, Strathclyde Inventory-12, and Spirituality Scale. Results revealed a negative significant relationship between CF and PWB (Estimate=-0.797, p=<0.001) and the three factors of CF known as Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress significantly predict PWB (p=0.01, p=0.04, p=<0.001). Moreover, it was found that SO significantly moderates the relationship between CF and PWB (Estimate=-0.001, p=<0.001). Results showed that while higher levels of CF may negatively impact PWB, a well-founded SO can alleviate these negative effects.
