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.