ABSTRACT

Compassion fatigue, a secondary traumatic stress [STS] disorder with similar symptoms as post-traumatic stress disorder, is a recognised workplace hazard, particularly for those working in trauma exposed occupations. Here, and by drawing on Australian codes of ethical practice for nurses, social workers and youth workers, we explore how these codes might inform the practice of these Australian health and human services practitioners with respect to compassion fatigue. Drawing on Nikolas Rose’s ideas about responsibilisation and the death of the social, we argue that these codes tacitly reflect a broader research and organisational impetus to responsibilise individuals to prevent compassion fatigue and maintain compassion satisfaction, and we situate this in a broader neoliberal socio-political context also framed by ‘responsibilisation’ in the context of a ‘decaying social’ and by a health and human service sector shaped by new public management. Finally, we begin to explore a preliminary conceptual case for an ecological lens through which to understand ethical responsibility for self-care, maintaining practitioner health and mitigating compassion fatigue. We argue that this lens brings into focus the need for codes to more clearly articulate broader and collective responsibilities for these elements.

摘要

同情疲劳是一种继发性创伤应激 [STS] 障碍，其症状与创伤后应激障碍相似，是公认的工作场所危害，特别是对于那些从事创伤暴露职业的人。在这里，我们通过借鉴澳大利亚护士、社会工作者和青年工作者的道德实践守则，探讨这些守则如何为这些澳大利亚健康和人类服务从业人员的同情疲劳实践提供信息。借鉴尼古拉斯·罗斯关于责任化和社会死亡的观点，我们认为这些守则默认反映了更广泛的研究和组织动力，使个人承担责任，以防止同情疲劳和保持同情满意度，我们将其置于更广泛的新自由主义社会政治背景中，该背景也由“腐朽社会”背景下的“责任化”以及由新公共管理塑造的健康和人类服务部门构成。最后，我们开始探索生态镜头的初步概念案例，通过它来理解自我保健、保持从业者健康和减轻同情疲劳的道德责任。我们认为，这个视角使守则的需要成为焦点，以更清楚地阐明对这些元素的更广泛和集体的责任。保持从业者的健康并减轻同情疲劳。我们认为，这个视角使守则的需要成为焦点，以更清楚地阐明对这些元素的更广泛和集体的责任。保持从业者的健康并减轻同情疲劳。我们认为，这个视角使守则的需要成为焦点，以更清楚地阐明对这些元素的更广泛和集体的责任。