Latent profiles of compassion fatigue and their association with resilience and turnover intention among nurses caring for patients with gastric cancer: a cross-sectional study

Background Oncology nurses caring for patients with gastric cancer are exposed to high-acuity workloads and sustained patient suffering, which may increase compassion fatigue. Prior research has largely examined average relationships across the full sample, which can obscure meaningful differences between nurses. This study aimed to identify latent profiles of compassion fatigue and examine the protective role of psychological resilience and the influence of work characteristics on profile membership. Methods A cross-sectional sample of 678 nurses from tertiary hospitals who provided care for patients with gastric cancer was recruited. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted using the three Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) dimensions: Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress. Psychological resilience was assessed using the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Multinomial logistic regression was applied to determine predictors of profile membership. Results Three profiles were identified: Thriving (22.0%; high compassion satisfaction with low burnout and secondary traumatic stress), At-risk (47.9%; moderate levels across dimensions), and Distressed (30.1%; low compassion satisfaction with high burnout and secondary traumatic stress). Turnover intention differed substantially across profiles: 80.4% of nurses in the Distressed profile reported high turnover intention compared with 6.0% in the Thriving profile. Psychological resilience was independently associated with a greater likelihood of Thriving membership relative to Distressed membership (OR = 1.18, p 0.001). Frequent night shifts (5/month) were associated with reduced odds of Thriving membership (OR = 0.25, p 0.001), whereas receipt of psychological training was associated with increased odds of Thriving membership (OR = 2.10, p = 0.009). Conclusion Nearly one-third of nurses caring for patients with gastric cancer experienced severe compassion fatigue accompanied by high turnover intention. Psychological resilience appears protective, and modifiable work characteristics—particularly night-shift burden and access to psychological training—are meaningfully associated with risk status.