Does fear of compassion effect nurses' caring behaviours? a cross-sectional study

The aim of this study is to determine the levels of nurses' fear of compassion for others, fear of compassion from others, and fear of self-compassion and to examine the effect of fear of compassion on caring behaviors.

A cross-sectional, quantitative design was used.

The study was conducted between October 2022 and April 2023 with 304 nurses working in two public hospitals. Data collection tools were the "Fears of Compassion Scales" and the "Caring Behaviors Inventory." Data were analyzed using a t test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and stepwise multiple regression model.

Ethics committee approval of the research was obtained from the non-invasive ethics committee of Kütahya Health Sciences University (Reference No: 25.05.2022/2022/06-19). The principles of the Declaration of Helsinki were followed in the study. The purpose of the research was explained to all participants, and their verbal/written informed consent was obtained.

The mean scores of nurses on fear of compassion for others and from others were at a moderate level, and their scores on fear of self-compassion were close to a moderate level. It was found that the level of nurses' fear of compassion was related to their sociodemographic and professional variables. Fear of self-compassion, fear of compassion for others, and fear of compassion from others explained 33.5% of the total variance in caring behaviors.

Nurses' caring behaviors were shown to be more associated with fear of self-compassion than fear of compassion for others. Fear of compassion may be one of the barriers to compassionate care. Interventions that will reduce nurses' fear of compassion may be one way to provide compassionate care. It is recommended to conduct awareness studies on self-compassion and accepting compassion from others in nurses.