Examining the relationship between neonatal nurses’ palliative care attitudes and compassion fatigue levels
Journal of Neonatal Nursing, cilt.32, sa.5, 2026 (Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 32 Sayı: 5
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.jnn.2026.101931
- Dergi Adı: Journal of Neonatal Nursing
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, CINAHL
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Compassion fatigue, Neonatal nurse, Palliative care
- İnönü Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Background Compassion fatigue may be associated with neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses’ ability to provide quality palliative care. Understanding this relationship may contribute to the development of supportive strategies for neonatal nurses and neonatal palliative care practice. Aim This study examined the relationship between NICU nurses’ attitudes toward palliative care and their levels of compassion fatigue. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. A total of 164 neonatal nurses participated, and data were collected through an online questionnaire. Results Participants had a mean age of 32.2 ± 5.8 years; 76.2% were women. Regression analysis revealed that compassion fatigue accounted for 19% of the variance in palliative care attitudes. Higher compassion fatigue scores were significantly associated with lower attitudes toward neonatal palliative care. Correlation analysis confirmed a significant negative relationship between the total mean scores of the two scales. Conclusion Supporting NICU nurses with interventions to reduce compassion fatigue may help strengthen positive attitudes toward neonatal palliative care. However, causal relationships cannot be inferred because of the cross-sectional design.