The Effect of Breathing Exercises on Compassion Fatigue and Work Tress Among Emergency Department Nurses

NCT07359365 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: CanakkaleOMU-SBF-BAE-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 64
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this randomized controlled study is to examine the effect of breathing exercises on compassion fatigue and work stress among emergency department nurses

Conditions

Work Stress

Keywords

compassion fatigue

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Compassion Fatigue Score

  The level of compassion fatigue among emergency department nurses will be assessed using the Compassion Fatigue Scale, a Likert-type instrument ranging from 1 ("Never") to 10 ("Very Often"). The scale includes two subdimensions: secondary traumatic stress and occupational burnout. Items C, E, H, K, and L assess secondary traumatic stress, while items A, B, D, F, G, I, and M assess occupational burnout. Total scores range from 13 to 130, with higher scores indicating greater levels of compassion fatigue.

  Baseline and 8 weeks

• Work Stress Score

  Work-related stress among emergency nurses will be measured with the 34-item Nurse Work Stress Scale . The scale has seven subdimensions: uncertainty concerning treatment (items 1-8), workload (items 9-14), patient death (items 15-19), conflict with physicians (items 20-24), conflict with other nurses (items 25-29), inadequate support (items 30-32), and suffering patient (items 33-34). Items are scored on a 4-point Likert scale (1=Never, 2=Sometimes, 3=Often, 4=Very Often). Subdimension reliability ranges from α=0.65 to α=0.89. Total scores are summed; higher scores indicate higher work-related stress.

  Baseline and 4 weeks after ınvertıon

Study Arms (2)

Breathing exercise group

EXPERIMENTAL

32 nurses randomly assigned to the experimental group will receive breathing exercise training. Pre-test and post-test will be conducted to measure compassion fatigue and job stress.

Behavioral: Breathing Exercise Training

control group

OTHER

32 nurses randomly assigned to the control group will not receive breathing exercise training. Pre-test and post-test will be conducted to measure compassion fatigue and job stress.

Other: usual care

Interventions

Breathing Exercise Training BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the experimental group will receive training on proper breathing techniques and breathing exercise methods. Each session will last 30-40 minutes. Sessions will be conducted twice a week for a total of 4 weeks.

Breathing exercise group

usual care OTHER

No intervention will be applied. Participants in the control group will continue their usual routine.

control group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Currently employed as an emergency department nurse.
• No diagnosed psychiatric disorders.
• No prior participation in breathing exercise programs.

You may not qualify if:

• Presence of respiratory system disease.
• Physical conditions that prevent participation in breathing exercises.
• Working outside the emergency department.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University

Çanakkale, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Occupational Stress; Compassion Fatigue

Interventions

Breathing Exercises

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Occupational Diseases; Stress, Psychological; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Mental Fatigue; Fatigue; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mind-Body Therapies; Complementary Therapies; Therapeutics; Exercise Movement Techniques; Physical Therapy Modalities

Study Officials

• gülnur A akkaya

  Çanakkale onsekiz mart universty

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Betül Graduate student

CONTACT

+905347442850; akgunbetul2001@hotmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: No masking is used in this study. Both participants and researchers are aware of group assignments
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Master's Student

Model Details: This randomized,controlled ,parallel-group study investigates the effects of a breathing exercise on compassion fatiuge and work stress in emergency nurses. Participants are randomly assignefd to an intervention or control group,and outcomes are measured using validated scales

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 21, 2025
• First Posted: January 22, 2026
• Study Start: April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Last Updated: March 27, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)