Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL)
Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) overview
Creator and Context
The Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) is a 30-item self-report questionnaire designed to assess the positive and negative effects of working in helping professions. It evaluates three distinct domains: Compassion Satisfaction (CS), Burnout (BO), and Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). The ProQOL is widely used among professionals who provide care and support to others, such as healthcare workers, social workers, and emergency responders.
Developed by Dr. Beth Hudnall Stamm, the ProQOL is the successor to earlier instruments like the Compassion Fatigue Self-Test. The current version, ProQOL Version 5 (2009), reflects extensive research and refinement to accurately measure the complex experiences of professionals in caregiving roles. The scale has been translated into multiple languages and is utilised globally.
Presenting Conditions
The ProQOL is particularly relevant for individuals in professions that involve exposure to others’ trauma and suffering. It helps identify levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress, which can inform strategies to enhance well-being and mitigate negative outcomes associated with caregiving roles.
Administration
The ProQOL is a self-administered questionnaire consisting of 30 items, each rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (“Never”) to 5 (“Very Often”). It typically takes about 10–15 minutes to complete. The scale is freely available for use in both clinical and research settings.
Desired Audience
The ProQOL is intended for use by professionals in caregiving and support roles, including but not limited to healthcare providers, mental health practitioners, social workers, emergency responders, and educators. It is also valuable for researchers studying occupational stress and satisfaction in helping professions.
In practice, the ProQOL serves as a tool for self-assessment and organisational evaluation. It helps individuals and organisations recognise signs of burnout and secondary traumatic stress, as well as areas of high compassion satisfaction. This information can guide interventions aimed at improving professional quality of life, such as implementing support systems, training, and policy changes.
Considerations
While the ProQOL is a useful screening tool, it is not a diagnostic instrument. Scores should be interpreted within the broader context of individual experiences and organisational environments. Cultural, occupational, and personal factors can influence responses, and it is important to consider these elements when using the scale.
How to score the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL)
Conducting the assessment
Respondents rate each of the 30 items on a scale from 1 to 5. The items are divided into three subscales: Compassion Satisfaction (CS), Burnout (BO), and Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), each comprising 10 items.
Interpretation
To interpret the scores:
Compassion Satisfaction (CS):
22 or less: Low
23–41: Average
42 or more: High
Burnout (BO):
≤18: Low
19–27: Average
≥28: High
Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS):
≤17: Low
18–25: Average
≥26: High
Higher CS scores indicate greater satisfaction from one’s work, while higher BO and STS scores suggest increased risk of negative outcomes associated with caregiving roles.
Clinical Considerations
Clinicians should use ProQOL scores as part of a comprehensive assessment. High BO and STS scores may warrant further evaluation and intervention to address potential burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Conversely, high CS scores can be leveraged to reinforce positive aspects of professional roles.
Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) use cases
The ProQOL is utilised in various settings:
Healthcare: To monitor the well-being of medical staff and implement wellness programs.
Mental Health Services: To assess therapists’ risk of burnout and secondary traumatic stress.
Social Services: To evaluate the impact of work-related stress on social workers.
Emergency Services: To support first responders in managing occupational stress.
Research: To study the effects of caregiving roles on professional quality of life
Category
General Well-being
Research Summary
The ProQOL has been extensively studied and validated across diverse populations. Research indicates that the scale has good reliability and validity, making it a trusted tool in assessing professional quality of life. Studies have also led to the development of shorter versions, such as the ProQOL-9, to facilitate easier administration in various settings.
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