Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Kathleen Gathercoal

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between compassion fatigue (CF) and organizational culture in a sample of 16 organizations and 193 individual participants. Respondents completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale as well as the Organizational Culture Profile. Results of this study found an incidence rate of CF of 35-43%. Differences in CF among the organizations surveyed were due, in part, to organizational culture. Individuals who place a high value on rewards were found to be at higher risk of developing compassion fatigue. Organizations with less decisiveness and higher variability in their organizational value ratings tend to have more compassion fatigue. Finally, supportiveness in an organizational culture was found to be a strong predictor of an individual’s ability to resist compassion fatigue. Important conceptual, practical, and policy reform implications are noted.

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