Educator Secondary Traumatic Stress in the Pandemic’s Wake: Buoying Teacher Holistic Health

Abstract

The COVID-19 crises wreaked havoc on students and teachers alike. Not only were educators thrust into distance learning overnight, but they had to provide social-emotional support for students with little preparation. Conducted at a school serving economically-challenged, trauma-impacted students, this qualitative study identified manifestations of secondary traumatic stress (STS) experienced by educators during the pandemic, self-care strategies they employed, and mental health resources the school provided. Questionnaire and interview data collected over a three-year period from six female elementary teachers were initially sorted into a priori code categories of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social domains through deductive content analysis; and then further analyzed within those four categories to identify codes that emerged from the data through inductive analysis. This two-pronged data analysis process revealed numerous manifestations of educator STS including sleepless, physical ailments, depletion, emotional escalation, worry over student welfare, feelings of powerlessness, professional uncertainty, and pressure to balance “catching students up” academically with bolstering social competency. School-wide professional development on trauma-informed practices, social-emotional learning, and growth mindset equipped teachers with tangible skills and strategies to address student personal and collective trauma; while initiatives such as the Health Challenge, Wellness Wednesdays, counselor check-ins, and staff appreciation days provided educators with collegial community-building, health and fitness incentives, problem-solving approaches, and mental health strategies. Educators themselves addressed their STS through self-care practices such as mindfulness, cognitive restructuring, boundary setting, and social support in an effort to buoy their holistic health and persist in supporting students.