Mindfulness-Oriented Professional Resilience (MOPR) Training to Reduce Compassion Fatigue in Healthcare Workers: A Pilot Study

• Published in: Healthcare (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 2; p. 92
• Main Authors: D’Antoni, Fabio, Matiz, Alessio, Crescentini, Cristiano
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.01.2025; MDPI
• Subjects: Burnout; Caregivers; COVID-19; Emergency medical care; Emotional regulation; Fatigue; Intervention; Medical personnel; Meditation; Mental health; Mindfulness; Pandemics; Physiology; Professionals; Professions; Quality of life; Resilience (Psychology); Self compassion; Stress; Well being; Workers; Italy; traumatic stress; polyvagal theory; compassion satisfaction; mindfulness; self-compassion; acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT); compassion fatigue; arousal modulation; healthcare professionals; resilience
• ISSN: 2227-9032; 2227-9032
• DOI: 10.3390/healthcare13020092

Background/Objectives: Compassion Fatigue (CF) is a critical issue among healthcare professionals, exacerbated by exposure to trauma and chronic workplace stress. This pilot study evaluates the effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Oriented Professional Resilience (MOPR) program, a structured intervention designed to mitigate CF and enhance resilience in healthcare professionals. The program integrates mindfulness practices, arousal modulation techniques, and resilience-building strategies over six weekly sessions. Methods: A sample of 73 healthcare workers (mean age 48.6, SD = 9.42) participated in the study, and pre–post data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. Results: Results indicated significant improvements in professional quality of life, with increased Compassion Satisfaction (p < 0.001) and reductions in Burnout (p = 0.003) and Secondary Traumatic Stress (p < 0.001). Mindfulness skills improved significantly across four dimensions—Observing, Describing, Acting with Awareness, and Non-reactivity—with p-values ranging from <0.01 to <0.001. Arousal modulation showed increased Optimal Arousal Zone scores (p < 0.001) and reduced maladaptive stress responses, including Fight/Flight, Freeze, and Feigned Death (p < 0.05). Psychological well-being improvements were observed, particularly in Self-Acceptance (p = 0.014) and Positive Relations (p = 0.041). Conclusions: These findings suggest that the MOPR program is a promising intervention for healthcare professionals, supporting resilience and reducing the psychological burden of caregiving. Future controlled studies should explore its long-term efficacy in diverse clinical settings and in larger samples.