Professional Quality of Life Among Institution-Based Psychologists in Ecuador: A Multilevel Cross-Sectional Study of Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress

Evidence on professional quality of life among psychologists in Latin America remains limited. This multicenter cross-sectional study examined compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress among 1078 Ecuadorian psychologists nested within 92 institutions using nonprobability sampling. Participants completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale, Version IV (ProQOL-IV), and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Random-intercept linear mixed-effects models were estimated. Unconditional ICCs were 0.086, 0.097, and 0.139, respectively. Greater psychological distress was associated with lower compassion satisfaction (B = −0.605, 95% CI [−0.674, −0.535]) and higher burnout (B = 0.407, 95% CI [0.354, 0.461]) and secondary traumatic stress (B = 0.906, 95% CI [0.843, 0.969]); all p < 0.001. No secondary sociodemographic or occupational association survived the Benjamini–Hochberg correction (minimum q = 0.163). Findings support cautious, non-diagnostic monitoring and longitudinal research directly assessing institutional job demands and resources. Cross-sectional design and nonprobability sampling limit causal inference and generalizability.