Exploring the Connection between Distress Tolerance and Mental Well-Being among Psychological Counsellors: The Multiple Mediation of Compassion Fatigue and Hopelessness

Sinan Okur

doi:10.46778/goputeb.1663361

TR EN

Psikolojik Danışmanlarda Sıkıntıyı Tolere Etme ile Mental İyi Oluş Arasındaki Bağlantıyı Keşfetmek: Şefkat Yorgunluğu ve Umutsuzluğun Çoklu Aracılığı

Öz

Ruh sağlığı hizmeti sunan psikolojik danışmanlar da bazı zamanlarda zorluk yaşayabilmektedir. Özellikle toplumun neredeyse tamamını etkileyen deprem gibi travmatik yaşantılar sonrasında yardım hizmeti veren psikolojik danışmanlar, danışanlarının yaşadığı yoğun duygusal yüke maruz kalarak bu süreçten ciddi düzeyde etkilenebilmektedir. Travmatik olaylara dolaylı şekilde olsa da maruz kalınması, ruh sağlığı hizmeti veren kişilerin de mental iyi oluşunun azalmasına yol açabilmektedir. Bu bağlamda, psikolojik danışmanların mental iyi oluşunun belirleyicilerinin ortaya konması, mesleki devamlılıklarının sağlanması ve yaşanabilecek risk faktörlerinin minimize edilmesi açısından önemlidir. Bu araştırmada, Kahramanmaraş merkezli depremler sonrasında depremden doğrudan ya da dolaylı olarak etkilenen bireylere yardım hizmeti sunan psikolojik danışmanların sıkıntıyı tolere etme ile mental iyi oluşu arasındaki ilişkide şefkat yorgunluğunun ve umutsuzluğunun çoklu aracı rolünün incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda 203’ü kadın (%60.2) ve 134’ü erkek (%39.8) olmak üzere toplam 337 psikolojik danışmana ulaşılmıştır. Katılımcıların yaş ortalaması 34.42 olarak hesaplanmıştır. Çalışma grubuna sırasıyla Sıkıntıyı Tolere Etme Ölçeği, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental İyi Oluş Ölçeği, Psikolojik Danışmanlarda Şefkat Yorgunluğu Ölçeği ve Umutsuzluk Ölçeği uygulanmıştır. Katılımcılardan alınan veriler kullanılarak ilk olarak ön analizler gerçekleştirilmiş ve daha sonra yapısal eşitlik modellemesi ile kurulan model test edilmiştir. Analiz sonucunda, sıkıntıyı tolere etme ile mental iyi oluş arasındaki ilişkide şefkat yorgunluğu ve umutsuzluğun tam aracı rol oynadığı belirlenmiştir. Bu bulgu, sıkıntıyı tolere edemeyen psikolojik danışmanların daha yüksek düzeyde şefkat yorgunluğu ve umutsuzluk yaşadığını ve bunun da mental iyi oluş düzeyine olumsuz şekilde yansıdığını göstermektedir. Elde edilen sonuç, ruh sağlığı uygulayıcılarının mental sağlığına ilişkin önemli çıkarımlar sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Sıkıntıyı Tolere Etme , Şefkat Yorgunluğu , Umutsuzluk , Mental İyi Oluş , Psikolojik Danışman

Exploring the Connection between Distress Tolerance and Mental Well-Being among Psychological Counsellors: The Multiple Mediation of Compassion Fatigue and Hopelessness

Abstract

Mental health practitioners, including psychological counsellors, may also experience difficulties at times. Particularly following traumatic experiences such as earthquakes, which affect almost the entire population, psychological counsellors providing support services may be significantly impacted by the intense emotional burden experienced by their clients. Although indirectly, exposure to traumatic events can lead to a decline in the mental well-being of those delivering mental health services. In this context, identifying the determinants of psychological counsellors’ mental well-being is important for ensuring their professional sustainability and minimizing potential risk factors. The aim of this study is to examine the multiple mediating roles of compassion fatigue and hopelessness in the relationship between distress tolerance and mental well-being among psychological counsellors who provided support services to individuals directly or indirectly affected by the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş. In line with this objective, a total of 337 psychological counsellors participated in the study, including 203 female (60.2%) and 134 male (39.8%). The participants’ average age was calculated as 34.42. The study group was administered the Distress Tolerance Scale, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, the Compassion Fatigue Scale for Psychological Counsellors, and the Beck Hopelessness Scale, respectively. Based on the data obtained from the participants, preliminary analyses were first conducted, followed by testing the proposed model through structural equation modeling. The analysis revealed that compassion fatigue and hopelessness fully mediated the relationship between distress tolerance and mental well-being. This finding indicates that psychological counsellors who have difficulty tolerating distress experience higher levels of compassion fatigue and hopelessness, which in turn negatively affect their mental well-being. The results offer important insights into the mental health of mental health practitioners.

Keywords

Distress Tolerance , Compassion Fatigue , Hopelessness , Mental Well-Being , Psychological Counsellors

References

Akın, A., Akça, M. Ş., & Gülşen, M. (2015). Turkish version of the Distress Tolerance Scale: A study of validity and reliability. Kastamonu Education Journal, 23(2), 619-630.
Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411-423. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.103.3.411
Avşaroğlu, S., & Koç, H. (2019). The mediation effect of optimism on the relationship between life satisfaction and distress tolerance. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal, 9(53), 565-588.
Beaumont, E., Durkin, M., Hollins Martin, C. J., & Carson, J. (2016). Compassion for others, self-compassion, quality of life and mental well-being measures and their association with compassion fatigue and burnout in student midwives: A quantitative survey. Midwifery, 34, 239-244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2015.11.002
Beck, A. T., Weissman, A., Lester, D., & Trexler, L. (1974). The measurement of pessimism: The Hopelessness Scale. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42(6), 861-865. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0037562
Birinci, T., & Baştürk, P. (2023). The relationship between burnout level and hopelessness, perceived social support and mental well-being in physiotherapy and rehabilitation senior undergraduate students. Turkish Journal of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, 34(2), 241-248. https://doi.org/10.21653/tjpr.1290353
Clarke, A. M., Kuosmanen, T., & Barry, M. M. (2015). A systematic review of online youth mental health promotion and prevention interventions. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 44(1), 90-113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-014-0165-0
Dilmaç, B., & Yılmaz M. (2019). The predictive relationship between cognitive awareness levels subjective happiness distress tolerance in teacher condidates. OPUS International Journal of Society Researches, 10(17), 1125-1155. https://doi.org/10.26466/opus.520293
Durak, A. (1993). A study on the validity of the Beck Hopelessness Inventory [Unpublished Master Thesis]. Ankara University.
Demirtaş, A. S., & Baytemir, K. (2019). Adaptation of Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale short form into Turkish: Validity and reliability study. Electronic Journal of Social Sciences, 18(70), 654-666. https://doi.org/10.17755/esosder.432708

Durkin, M., Smith, J., Powell, M., Howarth, J., & Carson, J. (2013). Professional wellbeing, compassion fatigue and burnout in APs. British Journal of Healthcare Assistants, 7(9), 456-461. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjha.2013.7.9.456
Er, B., & Ulu, E. (2024). Prediction of compassion fatigue levels of school psychological counselors according to emotion regulation and rumination levels. Western Anatolia Journal of Educational Sciences, 15(1), 350-372. https://doi.org/10.51460/baebd.1397503
Faraji, R., Khairuddin, J. B., & Roodsari, A. B. (2023). Investigating the mediating role of hopelessness in the relationship between alexithymia, impulsivity, distress tolerance, self-criticism and non-suicidal self-injury in adolescents. Journal of Modern Psychological Researches, 18(71), 178-188. https://doi.org/10.22034/JMPR.2023.54628.5340
Figley C. R. (2002). Compassion fatigue: Psychotherapists' chronic lack of self-care. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(11), 1433-1441. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.10090
Franza, F., Del Buono, G., & Pellegrino, F. (2015). Psychiatric caregiver stress: Clinical implications of compassion fatigue. Psychiatria Danubina, 27 Suppl 1, S321-S327.
Grimm, A., Hulse, L., Preiss, M., & Schmidt, S. (2012). Post- and peritraumatic stress in disaster survivors: An explorative study about the influence of individual and event characteristics across different types of disasters. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 3(1), 7382. https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v3i0.7382
Grøtan, K., Sund, E. R., & Bjerkeset, O. (2019). Mental health, academic self-efficacy and study progress among college students-The SHoT study, Norway. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 45.
Hu, L.-t., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 1-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
Keldal, G. (2015). Turkish version of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale: A validity and reliability study. The Journal of Happiness & Well-Being, 3(1), 103-115.
Keyes, C. L. M. (2002). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43(2), 207-222. https://doi.org/10.2307/3090197
Kliem, S., Lohmann, A., Mößle, T., & Brähler, E. (2018). Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS): Results from a German representative population sample. BMC Psychiatry 18, 110. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1646-6
Küçükbahçe, S. N., & Canpolat, M. (2024). Problems and solutions observed by school psychological counselors in the post-earthquake process. Inonu University Journal of the Graduate School of Education, 11(22), 124-136. https://doi.org/10.29129/inujgse.1505645
Lew, B., Huen, J., Yu, P., Yuan, L., Wang, D. F., Ping, F., Abu Talib, M., Lester, D., & Jia, C. X. (2019). Associations between depression, anxiety, stress, hopelessness, subjective well-being, coping styles and suicide in Chinese university students. PloS One, 14(7), e0217372. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217372
Liu, Y., Lan, D., Zhou, Y., Tian, H., Xiao, J., Gan, L., & Zhang, Y. (2024). Role of subjective well-being and resilience in the relationship between hopelessness and suicidal ideation among older adults with moderate to severe ADL limitations in Chinese nursing homes. Geriatric Nursing, 59, 418-425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2024.07.041
Livanou, M., Başoğlu, M., Şalcıoğlu, E., & Kalender, D. (2002). Traumatic stress responses in treatment-seeking earthquake survivors in Turkey. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 190(12), 816-823. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005053-200212000-00003
Okur, S., Karaağaç, Z. G., Yılmaz, F. B., Kütük, H., & Satıcı, S. A. (2024). Earthquake fear and flourishing: Serial mediation of meaningful living and psychological adjustment. Environmental Hazards, 24(2), 160-177. https://doi.org/10.1080/17477891.2024.2354784
Pamuk, M., & Gökçe, Z. (2020). Investigation of psychological resilience of guidance teachers in the context of self-critical rumination, distress tolerance and psychological vulnerability. Usak University Journal of Educational Research, 6(2), 63-78.
Prizmić-Larsen, Z., Vujčić, M. T., & Lipovčan, L. K. (2023). Fear of COVID-19 and fear of earthquake: Multiple distressing events and well-being in Croatia. Psychological Reports, 332941231156813. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941231156813
Rowney, C., Farvid, P., & Sibley, C. G. (2014). "I laugh and say I have ‘earthquake brain!’": Resident responses to the September 2010 Christchurch earthquake. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 43(2), 4-13.
Sarıçalı, M., Satıcı, S. A., Satıcı, B., Göçet-Tekin, E., & Griffiths, M. D. (2022). Fear of COVID-19, mindfulness, humor, and hopelessness: A multiple mediation analysis. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 20(4), 2151-2164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00419-5
Satıcı, B., Göçet-Tekin, E., & Deniz, M. E. (2020). Cognitive flexibility and mental well-being: Fear of negative evaluation and academic perfectionism as serial mediators. Erzincan University Journal of Education Faculty, 22(2), 386-396.
Satıcı, S.A., Öztürk, M., Okur, S., & Deniz, M. E. (2024). Cognitive control and flexibility to happiness: Distress tolerance and difficulties in emotion regulation as serial mediators. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 42(4), 722-740. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-024-00540-7
Sawyer, M. G., Arney, F. M., Baghurst, P. A., Clark, J. J., Graetz, B. W., Kosky, R. J., Nurcombe, B., Patton, G. C., Prior, M. R., Raphael, B., Rey, J. M., Whaites, L. C., & Zubrick, S. R. (2001). The mental health of young people in Australia: Key findings from the Child and Adolescent Component of the National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 35(6), 806-814. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1614.2001.00964.x
Silver, J., Caleshu, C., Casson-Parkin, S., & Ormond, K. (2018). Mindfulness among genetic counselors is associated with increased empathy and work engagement and decreased burnout and compassion fatigue. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 27, 1175-1186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-018-0236-6
Simons, J. S., & Gaher, R. M. (2005). The Distress Tolerance Scale: Development and validation of a self-report measure. Motivation and Emotion, 29(2), 83-102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-005-7955-3
Sümer, N., Karancı, A. N., Berument, S. K., & Gunes, H. (2005). Personal resources, coping self-efficacy, and quake exposure as predictors of psychological distress following the 1999 earthquake in Turkey. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 18(4), 331-342. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20032
Tennant, R., Hiller, L., Fishwick, R., Platt, S., Joseph, S., Weich, S., Parkinson, J., Secker, J., & Stewart-Brown, S. (2007). The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS): Development and UK validation. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 5, 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-5-63
Ümmet, D., Metin, S., & Okur, S. (2023). Development of Compassion Fatigue Scale in Psychological Counselors. E-International Journal of Educational Research, 14(1), 284-298. https://doi.org/10.19160/e-ijer.1191665
Yavrutürk, A. R. (2024). A qualitative study on the experiences of psychological counselors working in earthquake psychosocial support studies. Cappadocia Journal of Education, 5(2), 196-211. https://doi.org/10.69643/kaped.1401220
Yıldız, B., & Akkoyun, A. Z. (2023). Psychiatric support after earthquake. İzmir Katip Çelebi University Faculty of Health Science Journal, 8(2), 817-820.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Psychological Counseling and Guidance (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Sinan Okur ^*
0000-0002-3439-5907
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

July 11, 2025

Publication Date

July 30, 2025

Submission Date

March 22, 2025

Acceptance Date

May 26, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 13 Number: 2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.46778/goputeb.1663361

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA39MK66FL

APA

Okur, S. (2025). Exploring the Connection between Distress Tolerance and Mental Well-Being among Psychological Counsellors: The Multiple Mediation of Compassion Fatigue and Hopelessness. International Journal of Turkish Education Sciences, 13(2), 797-821. https://doi.org/10.46778/goputeb.1663361

Psikolojik Danışmanlarda Sıkıntıyı Tolere Etme ile Mental İyi Oluş Arasındaki Bağlantıyı Keşfetmek: Şefkat Yorgunluğu ve Umutsuzluğun Çoklu Aracılığı

Öz

Anahtar Kelimeler

Exploring the Connection between Distress Tolerance and Mental Well-Being among Psychological Counsellors: The Multiple Mediation of Compassion Fatigue and Hopelessness

Abstract

Keywords

References

Details

Primary Language

Subjects

Journal Section

Authors

Early Pub Date

Publication Date

Submission Date

Acceptance Date

Published in Issue

DOI

IZ

Cite