Jornal Internacional de Saúde Mental de Emergência e Resiliência Humana

Abstrato

Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction among Police Officers: An Understudied Topic

Judith P. Andersen and Konstantinos Papazoglou

Police officers routinely face critical incidents such as violent offenders, motor vehicle fatalities, and mistreated children (Cross & Ashley, 2004; Karlsson & Christianson, 2003). Police are tasked with keeping the peace and helping traumatized victims. Over time, the effort to alleviate the victims’ suffering may come with a cost. Charles Figley (1995) coined the term “compassion fatigue” (pp. 9) to describe this “cost of caring for those who suffer.” Compassion fatigue (CF) has multiple negative effects on caregiving professionals’ wellbeing and occupational performance.