Investigating the Role of Emotional Exhaustion on Self-Compassion in Nurses with the Mediation of Empathy during the Outbreak of COVID-19

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has put more pressure on the medical staff.Objectives: The current study was performed to determine the role of emotional exhaustion on self-compassion in nurses via the mediation of empathy during the outbreak of COVID-19.Methods: The present study was a descriptive and analytical study conducted on 150 nurses working in Al-Zahra and Kashani hospitals in Isfahan, Iran in 2021. The data were collected by three standard questionnaires of Emotional exhaustion (Chen), Self-compassion (Neff), and Empathy (Davis) and were analyzed in SPSS version 24 and LISREL8 software.Results: The results of the study revealed that the three variables of self-compassion, empathy and emotional exhaustion are not significantly different according to the demographic characteristics of nurses (P>0.05). There was a direct and significant relationship between empathy and emotional exhaustion (P<0.05). Ultimately, the proposed model has a good fit and in the direct and indirect relationships of the model, the role of empathy as a mediator between emotional exhaustion and self-compassion is confirmed.Conclusion: In line with the obtained results, it is suggested that considering the spread of a deadly infectious disease, appropriate educational measures and strategies should be implemented to promote or boost the spirit of empathy among health sector employees, especially nurses.

Investigating the Role of Emotional Exhaustion on Self-Compassion in Nurses with the Mediation of Empathy during the Outbreak of COVID-19 Keywords:

emotional exhaustion , self-compassion , Empathy , Nurse , COVID-19