Examining the Relationship Between Personality Traits, Compassion Satisfaction, and Compassion Fatigue Among Police Officers

Abstract

Police officers are often exposed to violence and potentially traumatic encounters, but they have not been a focus of research on compassion fatigue or compassion satisfaction. The current study examines compassion fatigue and satisfaction among police officers and how these variables are influenced by negative personality traits. This study’s participants were police officers ( n = 1,173) from the National Police of Finland, and its aims were twofold: (a) to explore the prevalence rates and relationships between compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, burnout, and personality traits (Machiavellianism, `narcissism, psychopathy) among study participants; and (b) to explore whether compassion satisfaction, burnout, years of police experience, and negative personality traits are predictors of compassion fatigue. The results of the current study indicated that 10% of police officers indicated high levels of compassion fatigue and 40% revealed low levels of compassion satisfaction. In addition, compassion fatigue was found to be negatively correlated with compassion satisfaction ( r = −.33, p < .01), whereas negative personality traits were positively correlated with compassion fatigue (Machiavellianism: r = .20; narcissism: r = .19; psychopathy: r = .23; p < .01). Furthermore, negative personality traits (except narcissism) were negatively correlated with compassion satisfaction (Machiavellianism: r = −.22; psychopathy: r = −.32). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to assess predictors of compassion fatigue and it indicated good model fit to the data (goodness of fit index, GFI = .976; comparative fit index, CFI = .934; root mean square error of approximation, RMSEA = .092; standardized root mean square residual, SRMR = .421). In addition, SEM revealed that compassion satisfaction, burnout, and personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) were significant predictors of compassion fatigue. Clinical and training implications as well as future research recommendations are also discussed.