COMPASSION FATIGUE AMONG SOCIAL WORKERS: A RESEARCH ON THE KAHRAMANMARAŞ EARTHQUAKE

Compassion fatigue is a cumulative reaction in workers exposed to others' traumatic stories, impacting them emotionally, physically, and socially. This paper aims to explore two primary research questions: the experiences of compassion fatigue among social workers who worked in the field during the February 6 Kahramanmaraş earthquake and the strategies they employed to cope with this condition. Within the scope of a phenomenological study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 social workers who served during the earthquake. The data obtained were analyzed using thematic analysis with the assistance of the MAXQDA software. Social workers working with earthquake survivors face various professional challenges such as high workload and responsibilities as well as risk factors such as feeling of loneliness, lack of support, limited autonomy, pressure to stay strong, time constraints, decreased sense of belonging. These stressors can lead to emotional, physical and social symptoms. To cope, social workers resort to strategies such as spirituality, physical exercise, seeking professional support, maintaining a professional attitude, finding fulfillment in their work and building solidarity with colleagues.