Self-Compassion Explains Less Burnout Among Healthcare Professionals
Open accessAbstract
Objectives Healthcare professionals are prone to experience burnout-a psychological syndrome resulting from chronic stressors at work. Some individual differences, like self-compassion-the non-judgmental observation of one's own pain and failure, while understanding that these are part of being human-can protect against burnout.Methods We administered the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Self-Compassion Scale, and the Stressful Life Events Scale to a sample of healthcare professionals (medical residents, nurses, and physicians) in Lebanon (N = 93).Results The sample demonstrated a high degree of Emotional Exhaustion (M = 27, SD = 11.79), average levels of Depersonalization (M = 9.46, SD = 6.35), and Personal Accomplishment (M = 34.95, SD = 6.58), and moderate levels of Self-compassion (M = 3.25). All burnout components were significantly and inversely associated with self-compassion, with the strongest association found between Emotional Exhaustion and Self-compassion (r = -.37, p < .001). Self-compassion significantly explained burnout, above and beyond sociodemographic and occupational variables (Emotional Exhaustion: ΔR 2 = .11, F (1.85) = 12.71, p < .01; Depersonalization: ΔR 2 = .07, F (1.85) = 6.73, p = .01; Low Personal Accomplishment: ΔR 2 = .11, F (1.85) = 11.29, p < .01).Conclusions Burnout is prevalent in the sample, yet self-compassion may be a possible protective factor.
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Hashem and Zeinoun (2020) found that self-compassion significantly explained levels of personal accomplishment in a sample of Lebanese healthcare professionals.
“In a sample of Lebanese healthcare professionals, Hashem and Zeinoun (2020) found that self-compassion significantly explained levels of personal accomplishment.”
From Examining Potential Psychological Protective and Risk Factors for Stress and Burnout in Social Workers. (2025) · cites this paper as Hashem & Zeinoun, 2020
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“…self-compassion was the strongest predictor of decreasing burnout, even beyond demographic variables and depressive symptoms (Atkinson et al., 2017; Hashem and Zeinoun, 2020) and self-compassion interventions studies have demonstrated efficacy in lowering burnout levels (Delaney, 2018; Duarte and…”
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“Several cross-sectional studies have found that self-compassion is inversely associated with burnout among nurses, war veterans, students, and healthcare professionals (e.g. Abdollahi et al., 2021; Atkinson et al., 2017; Hashem & Zeinoun, 2020; Ponkosonsirilert et al., 2020; Prudenzi et al., 2022).”
BackgroundSessions, L., Robertson, N., Jones, C. R., & Welham, A. (2024) · Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work · doi:10.1080/26408066.2024.2439267 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Gotsis, G. N., & Grimani, A. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-32257-0_16-1 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Norrington, B., & Douglas‐Smith, N. (2025) · Journal of Religion and Health · doi:10.1007/s10943-025-02373-9 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Unlike the rapidly growing number of scientific studies investigating the protective effects of self-compassion in similarly demanding secular professions (Hashem & Zeinoun, 2020; Neff et al., 2020), significantly less has been undertaken for clergy (Edwards et al., 2020).”
Bégin, C., Gilbert‐Ouimet, M., & Truchon, M. (2024) · Discover Psychology · doi:10.1007/s44202-024-00192-9 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“It is also reported that self-compassion is associated with less burnout symptoms among healthcare personnel from Lebanon [17].”
InfluentialLee, H.-C., & Fung, J. J. (2024) · Journal of Psychology and Theology · doi:10.1177/00916471241300156 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Some work has also linked self-compassion to lower levels of burnout (Atkinson et al., 2017; Chen et al., 2022; Dev et al., 2018; Hashem & Zeinoun, 2020; Kotera et al., 2021).”
Li, M., Liu, B., Jia, Q., Yuan, T., Feng, Y., Critchley, H., Yang, Q., & Ward, J. (2025) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-025-02585-4 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“Self-compassion involves acknowledging one’s limitations, accepting emotional pain, and avoiding self-criticism [77, 78].”
Liebergall‐Wischnitzer, M., Noble, A., Raz, I., & Halperin, O. (2023) · Journal of Midwifery & Women s Health · doi:10.1111/jmwh.13509 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Cottam, C., Dillon, A., & Painter, J. (2023) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare11182576 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Studies completed by Hashem & Zeinoun [40]) suggest that the development of self-compassion within a healthcare workforce can significantly interrupt the burnout developmental process.”
Hailikari, T. K., Kosenkranius, M., Rönkkönen, S., & Virtanen, V. (2025) · Learning and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2025.102692 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Chapman, H. R. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.665632 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“It should not be confused with “selfcompassion” (Neff, 2003) which is associated with lower levels of both burnout (Gerber and Anaki, 2020; Hashem and Zeinoun, 2020) and secondary traumatic stress (Neff et al.”
BackgroundKrok, D., Kocur, D. J., & Fopka-Kowalczyk, M. J. (2025) · Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care · doi:10.1080/15524256.2025.2492018 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Self-compassion also has a protective effect against burnout (Hashem & Zeinoun, 2020), especially in the work of nurses (Abdollahi et al., 2021).”
Μangoulia, P., Tsokas, N., Koukia, E., Malli, F., Missouridou, E., Dafogianni, C., Kyranou, M., & Fradelos, Ε. C. (2025) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare13111313 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“However, studies on physicians and other healthcare professionals have highlighted its benefits in reducing emotional exhaustion and enhancing professional well-being [10,11].”
The Story of Compassion: From Ancient Texts to Modern Practice
Maurya, R. K., & DeDiego, A. C. (2024) · Journal of Humanistic Psychology · doi:10.1177/00221678241233786 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Lack of self-compassion among practitioners leads to compassion fatigue and burnout (Hashem & Zeinoun, 2020).”
Juarez-Reyes, M., Less, J., Gardner, R. M., Dahlen, A., & Blacker, A. (2024) · Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health · doi:10.1080/15555240.2024.2357692 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Within the HCW population, Self-Compassion is inversely related to burnout (Conversano et al., 2020; Hashem & Zeinoun, 2020).”
Work-related well-being in early career: A role of self-compassion
Krejčová, K., Krejčí, I., Chýlová, H., Rymešová, P., & Michálek, P. (2024) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e41377 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“…theoretical context of recent studies that supported the effects of mindfulness-based and SC-focused methods on work-related well-being and work efficiency [5,10,12,20,21] and brought systematical analysis of differences between work engagement, workaholism, and their impact on well-being [38,43].”
InfluentialExploring Factors Influencing Posttraumatic Growth Among Nurses: A Path Analysis
Han, S., Kang, H. S., Eum, K., Karsten, K., & Armstrong, F. (2025) · The Open Nursing Journal · doi:10.2174/0118744346390089250613054910 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Burnout before and during COVID: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of 48 698 trainees
Prentice, S., Dorstyn, D., Massy‐Westropp, N., Benson, J., & Elliott, T. E. (2025) · Medical Education · doi:10.1111/medu.15760 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Fatigue, Self-Compassion and Life Satisfaction in Nurses
Dehkordi, R. P. (2023) · doi:10.14201/gredos.153269 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Self-Compassion and Personal Resources in Workers during the Pandemic: A Multidisciplinary View
Palermo, S., Grandi, A., Martoni, M., Giannandrea, A., Sist, L., Zito, M., Russo, V., & Colombo, L. (2022) · IntechOpen eBooks · doi:10.5772/intechopen.108278 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
ALBAYRAK, İ. (2023) · Kuramsal Eğitimbilim · doi:10.30831/akukeg.1270675 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Navigating burnout in healthcare: the price of care in an uncaring system
Noor, Z., & Wallace, S. L. (2025) · Nature Reviews Urology · doi:10.1038/s41585-025-01006-w · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Mann, A., Fainstad, T. L., Sullivan, I., Ritz, E. M., SooHoo, J. R., Mechaber, H. F., & Shah, A. N. (2025) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0328546 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“[41,44,45] Future research should explore how early gains in self-compassion and flourishing may buffer against downstream distress, and whether integrating coaching earlier or with higher frequency may enhance these effects.”
Aljaberi, M. A. A., Sabah, A., Hamouda, S., Nguyen, T. T. B., van Hooft, S., Lin, C.-Y., & Griffiths, M. D. (2026) · Archives of Psychiatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.apnu.2026.152090 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Overview of Self-Compassion on Nurses at Santa Elisabeth Hospital Medan 2022
Derang, I., Pujiastuti, M., & Sinaga, B. R. (2023) · Jurnal Ilmu Keperawatan (Journal of Nursing Science) · doi:10.21776/ub.jik.2022.010.02.8 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Empathy, self-compassion, and depression correlations among health professionals in Northern Greece
Paralikas, T., Iliopoulos, S., Kotrotsiou, E., Kotrotsiou, S., Kavadias, D., Tsioumanis, G., & Papathanasiou, I. V. (2024) · Polski Merkuriusz Lekarski · doi:10.36740/merkur202401108 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Huecker, M. R. (2020) · Journal of Wellness · doi:10.18297/jwellness/vol3/iss1/4 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“, not being overtly self-critical) [12, 13], and greater concern for others [12].”
BackgroundA Call to Arms for Professional Sustainability and Practitioner’s Mental Health
Friedman, Z. L., & Banta, C. (2023) · Occupational Therapy In Health Care · doi:10.1080/07380577.2023.2220127 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Because self-compassion has been inversely associated with burnout, actively learning to improve self-compassion may be a helpful model for current and future occupational therapy practitioners to incorporate into their personal and professional practices (Hashem & Zeinoun, 2020).”
Peña-Muñante, G. S. (2023) · APUNTES DE PSICOLOGÍA · doi:10.55414/ap.v41i2.1540
Níveis de autocompaixão, regulação emocional e síndrome de burnout em professores da Educação Básica
Santos, K. D. A., de Almeida, E. S., de Souza, F. V. S., & da Silva, J. P. (2024) · Teoria e Prática da Educação · doi:10.4025/tpe.v27i1.70280
“Em relação aos níveis de autocompaixão, identificou-se que a média do fator geral de autocompaixão dos docentes pesquisados ( M = 3,40) são maiores que outras populações de trabalhadores, como profissionais de saúde alocados em hospitais (Hashem & Zeinoun, 2020).”
BackgroundThe Seven Virtues of Highly Compassionate People
Guerra, N. G., & Williams, K. R. (2024) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781003312437
河野, 伸., & 寺尾, 岳. (2023) · Kyushu Neuropsychiatry · doi:10.11642/kyushuneurop.69.1_3
Zamora, C. A. (2024) · Academic Radiology · doi:10.1016/j.acra.2024.11.066
Predictors of Palliative Care Self-efficacy Among Health Care Professionals in Vietnam
Huynh, N. T. T., To, N. M., Hoang, H. T. M., Lam, H. T., & Kao, C. (2024) · Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing · doi:10.1097/njh.0000000000001101
Hannukkala, M. S., Grandell, R., & Levänen, S. (2025) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-025-02637-1
“…compassion is negatively associated with mental suffering such as depression (Lopez et al., 2018a; Saarinen et al., 2019), social anxiety (Arimitsu et al., 2019; Bates et al., 2021), and burnout in occupational settings (Abdollahi et al., 2021; Beaumont et al., 2016; Hashem & Zeinoun, 2020).”
Shirazi, A., Radgoudarzi, N., Kim, H.-C., Patterson, M., Bazargan-Hejazid, S., Herbert, M. S., Shapiro, D. N., Wong, F., & Eyler, L. T. (2025) · Advances in Integrative Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.aimed.2025.100592
Additional file 1 of A systematic review of parental burnout and related factors among parents
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Dalky, H. F., Shatnawi, B. A., Dalky, A. F., & Alkhawaldeh, A. (2025) · SAGE Open Nursing · doi:10.1177/23779608251400639
“The correlation analyses revealed a signi fi cant negative correlation between self-compassion and burnout, which aligns with fi ndings among Lebanese healthcare professionals who reported similar patterns of variance across burnout dimensions (Hashem & Zeinoun, 2020).”
Şenses, N. G., & Güler, M. (2025) · Mersin Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi · doi:10.17860/mersinefd.1700708
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Wang, Q., Zhu, Q., Wang, Y., & Xu, L. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02807-9
“…a positive correlation between self-compassion and various work-related intrapersonal and interpersonal outcomes, including mental health (e.g., Hashem & Zeinoun, 2020; Kotera & van Gordon, 2021), resilience (e.g., Franco & Christie, 2021; Lefebvre et al., 2020), job satisfaction (e.g.,…”
Burnout and Psychological Resilience in Healthcare Professionals: A Protective Psychosocial Resource
Ulutaşdemi, N., & Günaydı, N. (2026) · IntechOpen eBooks · doi:10.5772/intechopen.1014960
Mitchell, K. E., Kirkman, A., & Taylor, E. (2026) · British Journal of Guidance and Counselling · doi:10.1080/03069885.2026.2663162
Self-compassion and the impostor phenomenon: Associations and implications
Krejčová, K., Stanislavská, L. K., & Ibrahim, F. (2026) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0348905
“Accordingly, SC promotes work-related well-being in terms of job satisfaction [29] and resilience [30], and reduces burnout symptoms [31].”
Dogbey, G., Hiller, A.-M., Carlsson, A. C., Wallensten, J. C., Asare‐Dompreh, K., Agbolosu, A. A., Baiden, S. A., Yilma, A. N., & Kisiel, M. A. (2026) · Journal of Affective Disorders Reports · doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101113
“The primary definition of overall burnout was high emotional exhaustion together with high depersonalization and low personal accomplishment, in line with one of the MBI-recommended standard cut-offs (Hashem and Zeinoun, 2020).”
Aday Psikolojik Danışmanların Perspektifinden Öz-Şefkat: Fenomenolojik Bir İnceleme
Erol, B., & Aydın, G. S. (2026) · Okul Psikolojik Danışmanlığı Dergisi · doi:10.58433/opdd.1956750
Feelings of Guilt, Stress, and Self‐Compassion Among Nursing Staff in the Workplace
Hackert, B., Lumma, A., Andreas, J., & Weger, U. (2026) · Research in Nursing & Health · doi:10.1002/nur.70102
“In addition, studies have also shown that self‐compassion may have a protective effect against burnout in the healthcare workforce (Abdollahi et al. 2021; Hashem and Zeinoun 2020).”
Detchev, R., Scheer, M., Oster, C., Kebir, S., Ippen, F. M., Wandke, S., Scholl, I., & Rutenkröger, M. (2026) · Neuro-Oncology · doi:10.1093/neuonc/noag161
Yaşaroğlu, S. A., Metin, Z., & Atasoy, Z. B. K. (2026) · BMC Health Services Research · doi:10.1186/s12913-026-15197-4
“…levels of stress, anxiety, and burnout across various healthcare professions, with recent findings showing associations between self-compassion and lower burnout scores, particularly emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, beyond the effects of demographic and occupational factors [17, 20, 21].”
The relationship between compassion and burnout among employees in social care institutions
Antonić, N., Prosen, M., Zyba, E. B., & Ličen, S. (2026) · Kontakt · doi:10.32725/kont.2026.048
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- Authors
- Hashem, Z., & Zeinoun, P.
- Affiliations
- American University of Beirut (LB)
- Corresponding author
- Zeinoun, Pia
- ORCID
- Zeinoun, Pia
- Venue
- Mindfulness
- Published
- 2020-09-10
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 2542-2551
- ISSN
- 1868-8527 (ISSN-L)
- 1868-8535
- PMC
- PMC7481342
- OpenAlex
- W3086507007
- Cited by
- 95
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 10.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Mindfulness (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Burnout
- Keywords
- self-compassion, burnout, healthcare workers, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment, occupational stress, medical residents, nurses, physicians, protective factors, life events
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