Project information
Full title
From stress of conscience to self-compassion: Interviews and interventions to further understand and manage stress of conscience in Swedish healthcare
Doctoral student
Ida Olsson
Supervisor
Anna Bratt
Assistant supervisors
David Marcusson-Clavertz, Viktor Kaldo
Financier
FoU, Region Kronoberg
Timetable
Okc 2024–okt 2032
Subject
Clinical psychology (Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences)
More about the project
In my role as a psychologist at the Barn- och ungdomskliniken, I encounter morally challenging situations daily that impact the well-being of healthcare personnel. Since 2020, I have been involved in the research project Eir - internet compassion-course for healthcare professionals at Linnaeus University, where we are evaluating two different internet-based stress management courses designed for healthcare personnel. Both interventions aim to reduce work-related stress. The inspiration for my research stems from my clinical experiences as a psychologist and insights gained from the Eir project.
My research focuses on deepening the understanding of healthcare professionals' experiences with stress of conscience and its consequences on individuals. Stress of conscience is a type of stress that arises in morally difficult situations, often leading to intense feelings of guilt—for instance, when professionals feel they are compromising the quality of care or when work-related demands interfere with their personal lives.
Additionally, my research examines the capacity for self-compassion among healthcare professionals. Self-compassion can be described as the ability to treat oneself with kindness during times of difficulty, rather than resorting to self-criticism or self-blame. This aspect of my research is crucial because we believe that fostering self-compassion may help prevent stress-related health issues.
This work feels particularly meaningful to me because research in this area, especially for this professional group, remains limited. At the same time, I witness these challenges firsthand every day in my work at the hospital.
The doctoral project is part of the research project Eir - internet compassion-course for healthcare professionals
