Associations between the two components of compassion fatigue, the Big Five personality traits, and work engagement among nurses: a two-stage survey study

Background Compassion fatigue is a pervasive occupational health problem among nurses and comprises two components: secondary trauma and burnout. Both components may be associated with work engagement, yet the role of personality traits in this relationship remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the associations of secondary trauma, burnout, and the Big Five personality dimensions with work engagement and to test whether each personality dimension moderates these associations. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of a two-stage survey with a convenience sample of 332 nurses from a Chinese hospital. Compassion fatigue and personality were assessed in Stage 1, and work engagement in Stage 2, approximately four months later, using validated self-report scales. Hierarchical regression analysis and PROCESS macro Model 1 moderation analyses were conducted. Bonferroni correction was applied within each component-specific family of five moderation tests (α = 0.01). Results Hierarchical regression showed that the final model accounted for 52.9% of the variance in work engagement (adjusted R² = 0.529). Secondary trauma showed a positive conditional association with work engagement after adjustment for burnout and personality ( β = 0.258, p < 0.001), whereas burnout was negatively associated ( β = −0.343, p < 0.001). Extraversion ( β = 0.226, p < 0.001), openness ( β = 0.172, p < 0.001), and conscientiousness ( β = 0.198, p = 0.001) were positively associated with work engagement, while neuroticism and agreeableness were not significant. In moderation analyses, none of the five personality dimensions significantly moderated the association between secondary trauma and work engagement, and none significantly moderated the association between burnout and work engagement. Conclusions Burnout was negatively associated with work engagement, whereas secondary trauma showed a positive conditional association after adjustment for burnout and personality; given the negative zero-order correlation, this pattern may reflect statistical suppression. No personality dimension showed a robust moderating effect. These findings suggest that addressing burnout may help sustain nurses’ work engagement, although the effectiveness of interventions and routine screening requires further evaluation.