Yoga practice and compassion fatigue among Indonesian school counselors: a cross-sectional survey
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v78.118844Keywords:
compasion fatigue, exercise psychology, occupational wellbeing, school counselors, yoga-based physical activityAbstract
Introduction: Although physical activity is widely associated with psychological wellbeing, most evidence comes from structured interventions. Less is known about how naturally occurring physical activity functions in emotionally demanding occupational settings.
Objective: To examine the association between weekly yoga practice and compassion fatigue among Indonesian school counselors.
Method: A national cross-sectional survey was conducted with 523 school counselors across 28 provinces in Indonesia. Weekly yoga exposure was calculated from self-reported frequency and duration. Compassion fatigue was assessed using the Compassion Fatigue Self-Test (CFST). One-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression were performed.
Results: Weekly yoga practice was positively associated with compassion fatigue (r = .188, p < .001). Significant differences in compassion fatigue were observed across levels of yoga practice, F(2, 520) = 10.91, p < .001, η² = .040. Regression analysis showed that yoga practice remained a significant predictor after controlling for gender and professional experience, F(3, 519) = 18.40, p < .001, explaining 9.6% of the variance (R² = .096). Professional experience was negatively associated with compassion fatigue.
Conclusions: In contrast to findings from structured interventions, greater naturalistic yoga practice co-occurred with higher compassion fatigue, suggesting that yoga practice may reflect coping efforts rather than functioning as an independent protective factor. These findings highlight the importance of integrating individual physical activity practices with broader occupational support systems.
References
Bakker, A. B., & de Vries, J. D. (2021). Job Demands–Resources theory and self-regulation: New explanations and remedies for job burnout. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 34(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2020.1797695
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands‐Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
Bariyyah, K., Soejanto, L. T., Septiaji, A., Hafizi, R., Hasanah, U., Rosyalita, D., Perdana, M. R., Ilahi, A., & Ramadhani, E. (2025). Simple coping behaviors and their role in mitigating anxiety and depres-sion: A call for further research. Spanish Journal of Psychiatry and Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjpmh.2025.07.005
Biddle, S. J. H., Ciaccioni, S., Thomas, G., & Vergeer, I. (2019). Physical activity and mental health in chil-dren and adolescents: An updated review of reviews and an analysis of causality. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 50 Years of FEPSAC: Current and Future Directions to Sport and Exercise Psychology Research, 42, 146–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.08.011
Breedvelt, J. J. F., Amanvermez, Y., Harrer, M., Karyotaki, E., Gilbody, S., Bockting, C. L. H., Cuijpers, P., & Ebert, D. D. (2019). The Effects of Meditation, Yoga, and Mindfulness on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Tertiary Education Students: A Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00193
Bull, F. C., Al-Ansari, S. S., Biddle, S., Borodulin, K., Buman, M. P., Cardon, G., Carty, C., Chaput, J.-P., Chas-tin, S., Chou, R., Dempsey, P. C., DiPietro, L., Ekelund, U., Firth, J., Friedenreich, C. M., Garcia, L., Gichu, M., Jago, R., Katzmarzyk, P. T., … Willumsen, J. F. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955
Chekroud, S. R., Gueorguieva, R., Zheutlin, A. B., Paulus, M., Krumholz, H. M., Krystal, J. H., & Chekroud, A. M. (2018). Association between physical exercise and mental health in 1·2 million individuals in the USA between 2011 and 2015: A cross-sectional study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 5(9), 739–746. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30227-X
Chen, C. C., & Unal, A. F. (2023). Individualism-Collectivism: A Review of Conceptualization and Meas-urement. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management. https://oxfordre.com/business/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190224851.001.0001/acrefore-9780190224851-e-350
Cocker, F., & Joss, N. (2016). Compassion Fatigue among Healthcare, Emergency and Community Ser-vice Workers: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Pub-lic Health, 13(6), 618. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13060618
Compas, B. E., Jaser, S. S., Bettis, A. H., Watson, K. H., Gruhn, M. A., Dunbar, J. P., Williams, E., & Thigpen, J. C. (2017). Coping, emotion regulation, and psychopathology in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analysis and narrative review. Psychological Bulletin, 143(9), 939–991. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000110
Deriglazov, D., Halamová, J., & Kernová, L. (2025). Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, and Compassion Satis-faction Interventions via Mobile Applications: A Systematic Review and a Meta‐Analysis. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 22(3), e70033. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.70033
Elm, E. von, Altman, D. G., Egger, M., Pocock, S. J., Gøtzsche, P. C., & Vandenbroucke, J. P. (2007). The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: Guidelines for reporting observational studies. The Lancet, 370(9596), 1453–1457. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61602-X
Figley. (2023). Compassion Fatigue: An Introduction - Gift From With. https://www.giftfromwithin.org/ptsd/what-is-compassion-fatigue-dr-charles-figley/
Figley, C. R. (2002). Compassion fatigue: Psychotherapists’ chronic lack of self care. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(11), 1433–1441. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.10090
Ghasemi, F., Beversdorf, D. Q., & Herman, K. C. (2024). Stress and stress responses: A narrative literature review from physiological mechanisms to intervention approaches. Journal of Pacific Rim Psy-chology, 18, 18344909241289222. https://doi.org/10.1177/18344909241289222
Hartmann, S., Weiss, M., Newman, A., & Hoegl, M. (2020). Resilience in the workplace: A multilevel re-view and synthesis. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 69(3), 913–959. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12191
Hernan, M. A. (2018). The C-Word: Scientific Euphemisms Do Not Improve Causal Inference From Ob-servational Data. American Journal of Public Health, 108(5). https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304337
Hives, B. A., Zumbo, B. D., Beauchamp, M. R., Liu, Y., & Puterman, E. (2025). Bidirectional week-to-week relationships between weekly psychological stress across multiple life domains and engage-ment with an exercise intervention: Secondary analysis of data from a randomized trial. Annals of Behavioral Medicine: A Publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 59(1), kaaf068. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaaf068
Holtermann, A., Krause, N., Beek, A. J. van der, & Straker, L. (2018). The physical activity paradox: Six reasons why occupational physical activity (OPA) does not confer the cardiovascular health benefits that leisure time physical activity does. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097965
Junaedi, F., Hanurawan, F., Setiowati, A. J., & Ramli, M. (2022). Reducing the New Inmates’ Anxiety through Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy with Patronage Counseling Technique. Emerging Science Journal, 6(2), 306–321. https://doi.org/10.28991/ESJ-2022-06-02-08
Khalsa, S. B. S., & Butzer, B. (2016). Yoga in school settings: A research review. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1373(1), 45–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13025
Lee, M.-S., Han, S.-L., Hong, S., & Hyun, H. (2019). Relationship Bonds and Service Provider’s Emotional Labor: Moderating Effects of Collectivism. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 370. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00370
López-Fuenzalida, A., Varas-Yupátova, L., Barraza-Gómez, F., Valdés-Badilla, P., Cubillos-Bianchini, P., Castro-González, L., Carrasco-García, E., Henríquez-Camus, V., Saad-Tomasovic, V., Guerra-Ferrer, C., & Báez-SanMartín, E. (2026). Kundalini Yoga in Physical Education and affective or-ganization in early primary schoolchildren: A quasi-experimental study. Retos, 78, 451–464. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v78.117747
Luarte-Rocha, C., Candia, R., Machado-Arena, A., Pleticosic, Y., Campos-Campos, K., Santos, L. G. T. F. dos, & Campos, L. F. C. C. de. (2022). Efectos de los programas de intervención con yoga en estudian-tes que presentan trastorno del espectro autista: Una revisión sistemática (Effects of yoga in-tervention programs in students with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review). Retos, 46, 386–394. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v46.93920
Mastracci, S. H., & Adams, I. T. (2019). Understanding Emotional Labor at the Cultural Level. In M. E. Guy, S. H. Mastracci, & S.-B. Yang (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Global Perspectives on Emotional Labor in Public Service (pp. 119–148). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24823-9_6
Moosburner, A., Cramer, H., Bilc, M., Triana, J., & Anheyer, D. (2024). Yoga for Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Depression and Anxiety, 2024(1), 6071055. https://doi.org/10.1155/da/6071055
Pascoe, M. C., de Manincor, M., Tseberja, J., Hallgren, M., Baldwin, P. A., & Parker, A. G. (2021). Psychobi-ological mechanisms underlying the mood benefits of meditation: A narrative review. Compre-hensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, 6, 100037. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpnec.2021.100037
Paz, R., & Davidovitch, N. (2025). Mindfulness influence on psychological wellbeing: In search of cul-tural adaptations. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1550949
Pearce, M., Garcia, L., Abbas, A., Strain, T., Schuch, F. B., Golubic, R., Kelly, P., Khan, S., Utukuri, M., Laird, Y., Mok, A., Smith, A., Tainio, M., Brage, S., & Woodcock, J. (2022). Association Between Physical Activity and Risk of Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 79(6), 550–559. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.0609
Popucza, T. Z., Eriksson, L., & Eriksson, M. (2025). Emotional demands, burnout, and mental wellbeing in healthcare, care, and service work: The mediating role of surface acting across age. Frontiers in Organizational Psychology, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/forgp.2025.1628713
Putri, E. A., Setiyowati, A. J., & Multisari, W. (2025). The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to increase self-efficacy of vocational students who are victims of bullying. 29–37. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-370-2_5
Qiu, W., Huang, C., Xiao, H., Nie, Y., Ma, W., Zhou, F., & Liu, C. (2025). The correlation between physical activity and psychological resilience in young students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1557347
Quinn, Tyler. (2024). 381c - The Physical Activity Health Paradox: Is physical activity at work health enhancing? Annals of Work Exposures and Health, 68(Supplement_1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxae035.183
Rahayu, D. S., Atmoko, A., Muslihati, Setiyowati, A. J., Jaafar, W. M. W., Setyorini, & Septiana, N. Z. (2025). Unravelling the Hidden Costs of Compassion Fatigue in Mental Health Professionals: A Systematic Literature Review on Causes and Interventions. TPM – Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, 32(4-December), 1419–1431. Retrieved from https://tpmap.org/submission/index.php/tpm/article/view/3621
Rahayu, D. S., Khairi, A. M., Islami, C. C., Nafi, A., & Yuliastini, N. K. S. (2024). ‘Unleashing the guardians: The dynamic triad of AI, social media and school counsellors safeguarding teenage lives from the abyss.’ Journal of Public Health, 46(1), e167–e168. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdad139
Saputra, N. M. A., Muslihati, M., Ramli, M., Sobri, A. Y., Jalil, M. K., & Rafli, M. (2025). Challenges of Student Learning Problems in the Digital Era: A School Counselor’s Perspective. Counsenesia Indonesian Journal Of Guidance and Counseling, 6(2), 281–290. https://doi.org/10.36728/cijgc.v6i2.5664
Schuch, F. B., Vancampfort, D., Firth, J., Rosenbaum, S., Ward, P. B., Silva, E. S., Hallgren, M., Ponce De Leon, A., Dunn, A. L., Deslandes, A. C., Fleck, M. P., Carvalho, A. F., & Stubbs, B. (2018). Physical Activity and Incident Depression: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(7), 631–648. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.17111194
Septiana, N. Z., Atmoko, A., Muslihati, Hitipeuw, I., Nordin, N. M. D., Stevani, H., & Rahayu, D. S. (2025). “I don’t want to feel this way”: A hermeneutic bibliotherapy model based on Serat Wulangreh to address adolescent hatred. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 12, 102302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.102302
Setia, M. S. (2016). Methodology Series Module 3: Cross-sectional Studies. Indian Journal of Dermatolo-gy, 61(3), 261. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5154.182410
Setiyowati, A. J., Rachmawati, I., Wiyono, B. B., Indreswari, H., & Laksana, E. P. (2024). Analysis of the structural relationship emotional regulation, academic procrastination, and academic burnout. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 13(3), 1895–1907. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i3.26778
Shobana, R., Maheshkumar, K., Venkateswaran, S. T., Geetha, M. B., & Padmavathi, R. (2022). Effect of long-term yoga training on autonomic function among the healthy adults. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 11(7), 3471–3475. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_199_21
Singh, B., Olds, T., Curtis, R., Dumuid, D., Virgara, R., Watson, A., Szeto, K., O’Connor, E., Ferguson, T., Eglitis, E., Miatke, A., Simpson, C. E., & Maher, C. (2023). Effectiveness of physical activity inter-ventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: An overview of systematic reviews. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106195
Stults-Kolehmainen, M. A., & Sinha, R. (2014). The Effects of Stress on Physical Activity and Exercise. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 44(1), 81–121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-013-0090-5
Su, W., & Junge, S. (2023). Unlocking the recipe for organizational resilience: A review and future re-search directions. European Management Journal, Systematic Literature Reviews in Manage-ment Research: Exploring Current Challenges and Setting Future Agendas, 41(6), 1086–1105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2023.03.002
Sugara, G. S., Rachmawati, S., Muhajirin, M., Rahimsyah, A. P., Bariyyah, K., & Muqodas, I. (2025). Mind-fulness-Based Stress Reduction as a Treatment for Adolescent Social Media Addiction. Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaoc.70006
Vickers, A. J., & Altman, D. G. (2001). Statistics notes: Analysing controlled trials with baseline and fol-low up measurements. BMJ, 323(7321), 1123–1124. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.323.7321.1123
Wang, X., & Cheng, Z. (2020). Cross-Sectional Studies: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Recommendations. CHEST, 158(1), S65–S71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2020.03.012
Yılmaz, T., & Bekaroğlu, E. T. (2025). Secondary traumatic stress in mental health professionals. Psiki-yatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar, 17(1), 140–146. https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1433650
Zhao, Y., Gao, L., & Gao, J. (2025). The impact of emotional labor on mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of multi-occupational groups. Acta Psychologica, 261, 105905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105905
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dwi Sri Rahayu, Adi Atmoko, Muslihati Muslihati, Arbin Janu Setiyowati, Wan Marzuki Wan Jaafar, Nila Zaimatus Septiana, Setyorini Setyorini, Santy Andrianie, Bagus Julian Hikmy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
