Does the talk match the numbers? ProQOL and compassion fatigue in animal rescue

Compassion fatigue, which has been conceptualised as the combination of secondary traumatic stress and burnout in a help giving context, is an important yet understudied area of psychological interest in the animal rescue and shelter sector. Most research on compassion fatigue including for animal rescue/shelter workers utilises a measure called the Professional Quality of Life scale (ProQOL), a questionnaire designed for use with human care-giving professionals. The current study used a mixed methods analysis to investigate the utility of the ProQOL in assessing levels of compassion fatigue in a sample of Australian animal rescuers (N=342) reached via online survey. The free text responses of participants with the highest (n=50) and lowest (n=50) ProQOL compassion fatigue ratings were analysed to address the question “does the talk match the numbers?” i.e., do the free text responses support quantitative ratings of compassion fatigue. The answers to open-ended questions about the lived experience of animal rescue were assessed for five overarching psychological symptoms of compassion fatigue: Arousal, intrusion, avoidance, depressive, and dissociative. A relatively high prevalence of certain compassion fatigue symptoms were found, in particular depressive and dissociative symptoms. This study provides qualified support that the ProQOL tool may be valid for screening for compassion fatigue within an animal rescue population. Areas for further attention, including research and intervention considerations, are discussed.