Is your service member experiencing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or has he/she been exposed to traumatic events while serving? Has these traumatic events indirectly affected your ability to care, causing burnout and significant distress? If so, you may be at risk for a phenomenon called compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress (STS). Compassion fatigue, if not treated, can lead to impairment in social and occupational functioning.
What is compassion fatigue or STS? STS is ‘a syndrome of symptoms nearly identical to PTSD except that exposure to a traumatizing event experienced by one person becomes a traumatizing event for the second person’ (Figley, 1999). Compassion fatigue can occur in spouses or partners and children of service members who have experienced combat. Also professionals working with wounded warriors can indirectly be affected, limiting their ability to provide the necessary services for families and service members. Be aware of the symptoms that may be causing you compassion fatigue or STS. Symptoms may include:
- Distressing dreams related to your service member’s traumatic experiences
- Functional impairment due to family, social and occupational environments
- Avoiding thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the service member’s experiences
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- Irritability, frustration, or anger
Click on the image below for an illustrated look at additional symptoms related to compassion fatigue.
Self-Care for Compassion Fatigue
Caregivers – you can minimize the negative impact of compassion fatigue by learning a few simple self-care techniques. Brian Bride, Ph.D., professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Georgia suggests’ using the “A-B-C’s of Self-Care.”
Awareness:
- Recognize and identify compassion fatigue symptoms.
- Monitor changes in symptoms over time.
- Recognize and monitor changes in your functioning.
Balance:
- Prioritize your personal life.
- Attend to your physical health.
- Seek therapy or counseling.
Connection:
- Prioritize your relationship with family and friends.
- Honor your connection to community.
- Revitalize your sense of life’s purpose and meaning.
For more information on compassion fatigue and STS within the military, check out Dr. Bride’s recent presentation on Compassion Fatigue and self-care strategies for military caregivers and professionals.
What you once thought was stress related to your caregiving role, may actually be secondary effects from your service member’s traumatic experiencing while serving. Start today by learning how to identify and manage compassion fatigue in your caregiving role, so you can move forward to a healthier lifestyle for you and your service member.
This post was published on the Military Families Learning Network blog on October 7, 2014.