Experiences of Violence, Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction on the Professional Quality of Life of Mental Health Professionals at a Tertiary Psychiatric Facility in Nigeria

The well-being of professionals in mental health settings has attracted considerable interest recently. Mental health professionals in the course of their professional duty report being either burdened or exhilarated. This study examined the factors influencing professional quality of life of professionals in a mental health facility in Nigeria. Using a cross-sectional design, 234 participants at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Benin-City, Edo State, Nigeria responded to a set of questionnaires; professional quality of life and general health questionnaires. The results showed that the experience of violence in the workplace was significantly associated with secondary traumatic stress (t (231) = 2.141; P<0.05). Married participants reported better professional quality of life (t (218) = -2.220; P<0.05). Compassion satisfaction was significantly negatively correlated with psychological distress (r= -0.048; p<0.05). Conversely, burnout (r=0.241, p<0.05) and secondary traumatic stress (r=0.377, p<0.05) correlated positively with higher scores on the GHQ. Staff professional quality of life is influenced by work place characteristics.