Compassion Fatigue Self Test

To determine your risk of Burnout, ADD the numbers you wrote next to the items NOT circled.
Note your risk of Burnout

Consider each of the following characteristics about you and your current situation. Write in the number for the best response. Use one of the following answers.
1= Rarely/Never
2= At Times
3= Not Sure
4= Often
5= Very Often

This instrument is under development

1. I force myself to avoid certain thoughts or feelings that remind me of a frightening experience.

2. I find myself avoiding certain activities or situations because they remind me of a frightening experience.

3. I have gaps in my memory about frightening events.

4. I feel estranged from others.

5. I have difficulty falling or staying asleep.

6. I have outbursts of anger or irritability with little provocation.

7. I startle easily.

8. While working with a victim I thought about violence against the person or persons who victimized.

9. I am a sensitive person.

10. I have had flashbacks connected to my clients and families.

11. I have had first-hand experience with traumatic events in my adult life.

12. I have had first-hand experience with traumatic events in my childhood.

13. I have thought that I need to "work-through" a traumatic experience in my life.

14. I have thought that I need more close friends.

15. I have thought that there is no one to talk with about highly stressful experiences.

16. I have concluded that I work too hard for my own good.

Items about your clients and their families:

17. I am frightened of things traumatized people and their family have said or done to me.

18. I experience troubling dreams similar to a client of mine and their family.

19. I have experienced intrusive thoughts of sessions with especially difficult clients and their families.

20. I have suddenly and involuntarily recalled a frightening experience while working with a client or their family.

21. I am preoccupied with more than one client and their family.

22. I am losing sleep over a client and their family's traumatic experiences.

23. I have thought that I might have been "infected" by the traumatic stress of my clients and their families.

24. I remind myself to be less concerned about the well-being of my clients and their families.

25. I have felt trapped by my work as a helper.

26. I have felt a sense of hopelessness associated with working with clients and their families.

27. I have felt "on edge" about various things and I attribute this to working with certain clients and their families.

28. I have wished that I could avoid working with some clients and their families.

29. I have been in danger working with some clients and their families.

30. I have felt that some of my clients and their families dislike me personally.

Items about being a helper and your work environment:

31. I have felt weak, tired, rundown as a result of my work as a helper.

32. I have felt depressed as a result of my work as a helper.

33. I am unsuccessful at separating work from personal life.

34. I feel little compassion toward most of my co-workers.

35. I feel I am working more for the money than for personal fulfillment.

36. I find it difficult separating my personal life from my work life.

37. I have a sense of worthlessness/disillusionment/resentment associated with my work.

38. I have thoughts that I am a "failure" as a helper.

39. I have thoughts that I am not succeeding at achieving my life goals.

40. I have to deal with bureaucratic, unimportant tasks in my work life.

SCORING INSTRUCTIONS

Make sure you have responded to ALL questions.
Next, circle the following 23 items: 1-8, 10-13, 17-26 and number 29.
Now ADD the numbers you wrote next to the items circled.
Note your risk of Compassion Fatigue

19 or less = Extremely LOW risk
20 to 24 = LOW risk
25 to 29 = Moderate risk
30 to 42 = High risk
43 or more = Extremely high risk

Copyright 1994, Florida State University Psychosocial Stress Research Program

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