Aims and objectives: To evaluate demographic and occupational factors of professional life on life satisfaction among nurses in Serbia and Poland.
Background: Compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue, as aspects of a nurse's professional life, may affect their satisfaction with life in general. However, most studies on this topic have been conducted in Asian countries, and because there are differences in health care system performance across countries amid a global shortage of nurses, it is necessary to investigate professional quality of life in the European nursing context.
Methods: This multicenter, comparative, and correlational study was conducted on a sample of 669 hospital nurses in Serbia and Poland. The survey data were collected between November 2019 and February 2020 using the Demographic and Occupational Questionnaire (DOQ), Professional Quality-of-Life Scale (ProQOL-5), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). STROBE Statement guidelines for cross-sectional studies were followed.
Results: Most nurses from both countries reported having moderate compassion satisfaction, moderate risk for compassion fatigue, and an average life satisfaction. The predictive factors of life satisfaction that most stand out include country of origin, financial situation, education, job satisfaction, and compassion fatigue.
Discussion and conclusion: Quality of professional life is significantly affected by shift duration, age, work experience, and job satisfaction. Negative aspects of professional life are significant predictors of life satisfaction.
Implications for nursing policy: The findings of this study indicate a need for implementing flexible shift patterns and enhancing interventions that will improve job satisfaction and compassion satisfaction while reducing the risk of compassion fatigue.
Keywords: European nurse; compassion fatigue; compassion satisfaction; job satisfaction; life satisfaction; multicenter; professional quality of life; questionnaire.
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