The Partial Mediator Role of Satisficing Decision-Making Style Between Trait Emotional Intelligence and Compassion Fatigue in Healthcare Professionals

Background: Compassion fatigue (CF) represents a relevant issue for healthcare professionals. Currently, it is still unclear which psychological mechanism might lead to CF and which might protect workers from that. Decision-making styles, as well as emotional intelligence, might partially account for the presence of CF. Specifically, we hypothesized that a satisficing decision-making style would mediate the relationship between emotional intelligence and CF. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted on physicians and nurses from Italian Medical Departments. Three self-reported questionnaires were administered to collect data in accordance with our aims. A mediation model with Structural Equation Modeling on the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (TEI) and CF through the maximizing decision-making style was performed. Results: We found a significant relationship between TEI and CF (β = −0.28, SE = 0.04, p <.001). The maximizing style partially mediated this relationship (β = −0.04, SE = 0.01, p <.001). Moreover, negative relationships were found between sex (male), working hours, sleep quality, and CF. Conversely, a positive relationship between age and CF was demonstrated. Conclusions: Being emotionally intelligent resulted as a protective factor for developing CF, while the decision-making styles shaped the risk of developing CF.