Caring Too Much? Emotional Labor and Compassion Fatigue among Faculty during the COVID-19 Pandemic
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| Title: | Caring Too Much? Emotional Labor and Compassion Fatigue among Faculty during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Katie Constantin (ORCID |
| Source: | Research in Higher Education. 2024 65(7):1540-1560. |
| Availability: | Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 21 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Emotional Response, Psychological Patterns, Altruism, Fatigue (Biology), College Faculty, COVID-19, Pandemics, Caring, Stress Variables, Trauma, Teaching Experience, Teacher Burnout |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11162-024-09799-2 |
| ISSN: | 0361-0365 1573-188X |
| Abstract: | The COVID-19 pandemic brought abrupt changes to teaching that caused increased stress amid an already difficult time. Whether teaching remote, hybrid, or in-person, university faculty were expected to continue teaching throughout the pandemic, despite personal challenges at home. In addition, there were expectations that faculty show greater levels of compassion towards their students. Multiple articles brought attention to these struggles and questioned whether university faculty might be experiencing compassion fatigue--a state of emotional exhaustion brought on by secondary traumatic stress and characterized by a reduced capacity for empathy. Using data from a larger, longitudinal qualitative study of faculty members' experiences during the pandemic, the present study aims to understand faculty experiences of emotional labor and compassion fatigue during this time. Unsurprisingly, most participants reported an increase in emotional labor during the early pandemic; however, roughly one in four described their emotional labor loads as unchanged or even decreased. In those cases, participants often described active disengagement practices in the workplace, or methods of "guarding one's time." Overall, compassion fatigue was less evident than anticipated, but there were identifiable signs of burnout among participants. This finding alone suggests a need for additional research to better conceptualize and operationalize the two terms. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1446294 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | The COVID-19 pandemic brought abrupt changes to teaching that caused increased stress amid an already difficult time. Whether teaching remote, hybrid, or in-person, university faculty were expected to continue teaching throughout the pandemic, despite personal challenges at home. In addition, there were expectations that faculty show greater levels of compassion towards their students. Multiple articles brought attention to these struggles and questioned whether university faculty might be experiencing compassion fatigue--a state of emotional exhaustion brought on by secondary traumatic stress and characterized by a reduced capacity for empathy. Using data from a larger, longitudinal qualitative study of faculty members' experiences during the pandemic, the present study aims to understand faculty experiences of emotional labor and compassion fatigue during this time. Unsurprisingly, most participants reported an increase in emotional labor during the early pandemic; however, roughly one in four described their emotional labor loads as unchanged or even decreased. In those cases, participants often described active disengagement practices in the workplace, or methods of "guarding one's time." Overall, compassion fatigue was less evident than anticipated, but there were identifiable signs of burnout among participants. This finding alone suggests a need for additional research to better conceptualize and operationalize the two terms. |
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| ISSN: | 0361-0365 1573-188X |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11162-024-09799-2 |
