We studied whether online college student self-disclosure of trauma led to compassion fatigue among online faculty. In this interactive session, will discuss the results of our study, implications for supporting student and faculty mental health and identify solutions to more effectively support both student and faculty mental health.
Compassion fatigue is a psychological phenomenon defined as who help traumatized patients may develop their own PTSD symptoms as an indirect response to their patients’ suffering (Babbel, 2012).
Self-disclosure is the act of sharing personal information about oneself with others, often with the goal of increasing connection, attraction, or empathy in interpersonal communication (Ryan, Kramer, & Cohn, 2016). As technology-mediated communication has increased in recent years as a result of social media, online/distance education, and wide-spread global internet access, so has researchers’ interest in understanding the impact of technology on our tendency to self-disclose. Although findings in this area are mixed, some research (Joinson, 2001; Krasnova, Spiekermann, Koroleva, & Hildebrand, 2010) suggests that we tend to self-disclose more to others in an online or technology-mediated setting.
Concerns about college student mental health have been rising in recent years, particularly in relation to associated trauma such as student homelessness, hunger, or violence as a result of or in addition to mental health issues such as depression, PTSD, or anxiety disorders among college students (Romo, 2018; Tarkan, 2018). Consequently, leaders in higher education are seeking ways to better understand and support mental health among students and faculty.
Exclusively online degree programs tend to cater to students with more diverse challenges (i.e. students who are non-traditional/working adults, low-income, academically underprepared, first-generation, single parents, etc.). In light of the unique relationship among all of these factors (compassion fatigue, high-risk population, student self-disclosure, online setting), we conducted a study in which we explored whether the combination present in online learning environments of students more likely to be both experiencing and disclosing personal trauma and challenges to their faculty resulted in compassion fatigue and burnout among online faculty.
Specifically, we examined 1) the relationship between student self-disclosure in technology mediated online classrooms and compassion fatigue in online faculty and 2) demographic differences in how faculty are approached by students who self-disclose, levels of compassion fatigue, and how faculty feel they are expected to respond to student self-disclosures.
We surveyed 238 online faculty members using the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL 5).This tool measures Compassion Satisfaction (CS) (defined as “the pleasure you derive from being able to do your work well,” Stamm, 2009, p. 2), and Compassion Fatigue (CF).The questionnaire divides Compassion Fatigue into two components: Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress. For this study, we examined only the Burnout component of CF (defined as “feelings of hopelessness and difficulties in dealing with work or in doing your job effectively,” Stamm, 2009, p. 2), taking into consideration that Secondary Trauma Stress typically is found in emergency workers and therapists who become vicariously traumatized through secondary exposure to extreme trauma and stress through others.
Faculty participants reported low to average levels of Burnout. Female faculty reported significantly higher levels of Burnout compared to male faculty. Faculty also shared qualitative experiences about how student disclosure affects them. Some found student self-disclosure stressful and beyond their expertise, while others felt it allowed them to help students in a meaningful way.
Demographic factors were associated with both Burnout and CS. Specifically, older faculty had significantly lower Burnout scores than younger faculty and significantly higher CS scores. Interestingly, the number of children a faculty member had was significantly related to higher CS scores. Additionally, experience was related to CS. The longer faculty had been teaching overall or teaching online, the higher their CS scores were, suggesting that mentoring and training, as well as overall experience, perhaps with parenting or mentoring younger people through challenges, may be key components of Compassion Satisfaction. Faculty who identified that they themselves disclose personal information in class reported higher CS scores; however, there was no relationship between experience with student personal disclosure and faculty CS scores.
The results of this study plant the seed for additional research and dialogue to explore the topic of how best to address and support both student mental health and faculty burnout in online settings. The support structure for students and the referral process to student support services for faculty are much more clearly defined in traditional campus settings. On campus, students have access to various resources and student support services built into their fees and experience, but in online settings it is assumed students have access to basic health and wellness services on their own and/or that faculty are aware of how to navigate students through the support system (either at the university or at the local level where the student resides). In reality, that is typically not the case, particularly given that many online universities are primarily staffed by adjunct/contract faculty disconnected from the student services component of the university. The boundaries between academic instruction and life skills instruction have blurred, with higher education becoming a “one stop shop” for not only academic credentialing and training, but also for mental and physical wellness and emotional intelligence. Consequently, the methods for training and supporting faculty, as well as the types of programming and support initiatives we provide for students must evolve in tandem.
In this discovery session, we will share the results of our study, using them as a springboard for a dialogue on the evolving notion of mental health and life support in college classrooms, particularly in online settings. We will focus on the changing role of faculty in supporting student mental health and life skills, as well as specific strategies to more effectively meet the mental health and emotional support needs of students in online settings. We will also explore sex differences in faculty interpretation of and response to student self-disclosure as it relates to faculty training and support.
In this session, participants, led by the presenters, will identify solutions to help higher education institutions more successfully support students who are experiencing trauma or personal struggles and to support faculty experiencing compassion fatigue and burnout as a result of student disclosure of trauma. Specific strategies will be explored including designing targeted faculty training and support in life skills education and basic counseling concepts, creating mental health teams to support both faculty and students, and crafting more robust referral structures and policies related to accessing faculty and student mental health support services.
References
American Institute of Stress. (2017). Definitions. Retrieved from: https://www.stress.org/military/for-practitionersleaders/compassion-fatigue/
Babbel, S. (July 4, 2012). Compassion fatigue: bodily symptoms of empathy. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/somatic-psychology/201207/compassion-fatigue
Figley, C. R. (1995). Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized. American Psychological Association: Philadelphia, PA.
Joinson, A. N. (2001). Self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication: The role of self-awareness and visual anonymity. European Journal of Social Psychology, 31(2), 177-192
Romo, V. (April 3, 2018). Hunger and homelessness are widespread among college students, study finds. National Public Radio. Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/03/599197919/hunger-and-homelessness-are-widespread-among-college-students-study-finds
Ryan, C. T., Kramer, J. M., & Cohn, E. S. (2016). Exploring the self-disclosure process in peer mentoring relationships for transition-age youth with developmental disabilities. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 54(4), 245-259,295,297. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy2.apus.edu/10.1352/1934-9556-54.4.245
Tarkan, L. (March 28, 2018). Colleges scramble to meet soaring demand for anxiety, depression counseling. National Public Radio. Retrieved from: https://www.wnpr.org/post/colleges-scramble-meet-soaring-demand-anxiety-depression-counseling
Stamm, B.H., Blampied, S., Higson-Smith, C., Hudnall, A.C., Piland, N.F., Stamm, H.E., & Khabir, S.(2009). Professional Quality of Life Measure (ProQOL 5). www.ProQOL.org.