The Trauma & Emotional Stress Associated with Caregiving: The Importance of Fostering Resiliency

There is a cost to caring for others and being empathetic. That is why

Chapter Eight of this book specifically explores the trauma and emotional stress

associated with being a caregiver and the importance of fostering resiliency. The

following trauma related conditions, their causes and symptoms are reviewed: posttraumatic

stress disorder (PTSD), secondary traumatic stress (STS) and vicarious

traumatization. Compassion fatigue and burnout are two additional conditions that are

not linked to trauma but are associated with either exposure to human suffering or

work-related stress and result in emotional exhaustion. Specific ways to treat the

various forms of caregiver trauma and emotional stress are included in the discussion.

Facilitating caregiver resiliency is determined to be important in preventing

compassion fatigue, and the following strategies are highly recommended: self-care,

cultivating exquisite empathy, fostering compassion satisfaction, and embracing

strategies that promote joy in work. Note that although they are somewhat different,

many of these methods do overlap in some ways. In the Case in Point, an emergency

room nurse shared her story of how she developed compassion fatigue after being

confronted with ongoing suffering. In closing, caregivers are encouraged to develop a

personal wellness plan. In an exercise at the end of the Chapter, caregivers are

encouraged to develop a personal wellness plan.

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