Burnout, Depression, Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue in Early Intervention Providers

Introduction: Early intervention providers' mental health impacts the delivery of effective services to children and their families. While burnout, depression, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction have been extensively studied in physicians, nurses, and other health providers, little is known about these phenomena in early intervention providers. Methods: This exploratory cross-sectional study examined demographic characteristics, job-related factors of depression, and correlates of burnout, depression, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction. Results: Forty percent of the participants showed high levels of compassion satisfaction, and 60% scored high levels of compassion satisfaction. Forty-four percent of the participants had low levels of compassion fatigue, and 55% had medium levels. Discussion: Identification of preventive and supportive measures to decrease burnout and compassion fatigue and improve compassion satisfaction may improve early intervention providers' mental health and wellness, decrease turnover rates, and ultimately improve the quality of care provided to clients.