Higher Levels Of Secondary Traumatic Stress Research Articles

Untangling secondary traumatic stress and vicarious traumatization: One construct or two?

This study examined whether secondary traumatic stress (STS), defined by the expanded DMS-5-TR's depiction of traumatic stress which includes negative mood/cognition symptoms, fully captures the reactions of indirect trauma exposure or if vicarious traumatization (VT) is still a useful and separate construct to assess for. An online survey was completed by 613 professionals working with individuals who experienced trauma. Correlations and network analysis were used to explore the overlap and distinctiveness of STS and VT reactions. High levels of STS and indirect trauma exposure were found in the current sample. A greater dose of daily indirect exposure was associated with a majority of STS and VT domains, and having less professional experience was associated with all STS and VT domains. Results of the network analysis suggested that STS and VT still continue to be unique yet related constructs. Although the negative mood/cognition addition to STS may not fully capture or replace the phenomenon of VT, these additional STS symptoms may further connect the two constructs. This indicates that current measures of STS may capture some but not all of the cognitive impacts of indirect trauma exposure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Secondary traumatic stress and dissociative coping strategies in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: The protective role of resilience

During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses are repeatedly exposed to acute stress at their workplace, and therefore, they are at high risk for developing mental health symptoms. The prolonged exposure of healthcare professionals may lead to Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). STS is an aspect of “cost of care”, the natural consequence of providing care to people who suffer physically or psychologically. The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of STS in nurses during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece and to detect aggravating and protective factors. Participants were 222 nurses (87.4 % women; mean age 42.3 years) who completed an online survey. The questionnaire comprised of the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, the Brief Resilience Scale, and the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory. Nurses had high levels of STS. The hierarchical regression analyses showed that STS and its dimensions Avoidance and Arousal were positively predicted mainly by denial and self-distraction coping strategies and inversely by resilience. Resilience exhibited a protective (partial mediation) effect on the strong relationship between the dissociative coping strategies (denial, self-distraction, venting and behavioral disengagement) and STS. Trauma-informed care psychosocial interventions are needed to support the already overburdened nursing staff during the coronavirus pandemic.

Finnish paramedics\u2019 professional quality of life and associations with assignment experiences and defusing use \u2013 a cross-sectional study

BackgroundParamedics experience traumatic events and social emergencies during assignments while also being subjected to verbal and physical threats. Consequently, they are at risk for burnout and secondary traumatic stress, factors inherent to professional quality of life. Defusing and peer-support potentially decrease such symptoms; however, perceived defusing needs and use are not always balanced. Our aim was to explore Finnish paramedics’ professional quality of life, using the Professional Quality of Life Scale, with associations to EMS assignment experiences as well as formal and informal defusing need and use over a 12-month period.MethodsA quantitative study of 257 Finnish paramedics using a cross-sectional design. Study outcomes were secondary traumatic stress (STS), compassion satisfaction (CS), and burnout (BO) scores using the modified 9-item Short Professional Quality of Life scale (ProQOL). Likert-type scales were used to collect participants’ recollections of assignment experiences and defusing from a 12-month period. Associations were explored using Spearman’s correlation coefficients.ResultsShort ProQOL score medians were STS 4.00 (IQR 3), BO 6.00 (IQR 3) and CS 13.00 (IQR 3). STS and BO correlated to experiences of social emergencies and traumatic events while BO correlated to experiences of threat situations (r = 0.206, p = .001). Paramedics perceived a need for defusing in general associated with STS (r = 0.178, p < .001) and participated in informal defusing. Participation in defusing of any form did not associate with ProQOL scores.ConclusionsFinnish paramedics’ more frequent experiences of social emergencies, traumatic events, and paramedic-directed threat situations were associated with higher levels of STS and BO. STS was also associated with paramedics’ increased need for defusing and use of informal peer defusing, although neither STS, BO or CS scores associated to any defusing form. Managing paramedics STS and BO, while fostering CS, could therefore be a future research focus.

Factors associated with secondary traumatic stress and burnout in neonatal care staff: A cross-sectional survey study.

High rates of secondary traumatic stress and burnout have been found across nursing populations. However, few studies have focused on neonatal staff. The objectives of this article are to explore the prevalence and severity of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout in neonatal staff, and identify risk factors and protective factors for STS and burnout within this population with the aim of informing future staff support. A quantitative, cross-sectional study using a survey design was conducted; 246 neonatal staff reported measures of STS, burnout, self-compassion and satisfaction with ward climate. Neonatal staff reported high rates of moderate-severe STS and burnout. STS and burnout were negatively associated with self-compassion and satisfaction with ward climate, suggesting them to be protective factors against STS and burnout. STS was found to be a risk factor for burnout and vice versa. Interventions that increase understanding of STS and burnout, nurture self-compassion, provide support and enhance stress management could help mitigate the impact of STS and burnout amongst neonatal staff.

Grief over patients, compassion fatigue, and the role of social acknowledgment among psycho-oncologists.

Compassion fatigue-that is, secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout-is a traumatic emotional state experienced by health care providers and expressed in a reduced capacity to be interested in and empathic to the suffering of others. Compassion fatigue may be related to grief over patients' loss. We examined the relation between grief and compassion fatigue among psycho-oncologists while exploring the impact of social acknowledgment on this association. We hypothesized that social acknowledgment would moderate the relation between grief and compassion fatigue. Participants were 60 Israeli psycho-oncologists in a cross-sectional study. Measures consisted of a demographic questionnaire, the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief-Present, the Social Acknowledgment questionnaire, and the Professional Quality of Life Questionnaire. The participants reported relatively high levels of grief and high levels of compassion fatigue. Grief and compassion fatigue were significantly positively associated (STS: r = 0.41, p < 0.01; Burnout: r = 0.45, p < 0.01). A k-means cluster analysis based on social acknowledgment and grief yielded three meaningful clusters: High Grief-Low Social Acknowledgment; Medium Grief-High Social Acknowledgment; and Low Grief-Medium Social Acknowledgment. Levels of STS in the first cluster were significantly higher in comparison to levels of STS in each of the other clusters (F = 6.22, p < 0.01). Psycho-oncologists experience patient loss as part of their daily work. In response, they may develop grief reactions. This grief, when it is not perceived by them as being socially acknowledged, may result in high levels of STS: a phenomenon with undesirable personal and professional implications.

Secondary traumatic stress in police officers investigating childhood sexual abuse

PurposePrevious research has indicated that helping professionals working with traumatised individuals are susceptible to adverse effects which can be recognised as secondary traumatic stress (STS). The purpose of this paper is to explore STS in police officer’s investigating childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in the UK.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a cross-sectional, quantitative design. An online questionnaire was completed by 101 Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) police officers in England and Wales. STS, coping strategies, anxiety, depression and demographic information was collected for all participants.FindingsIt was indicated that increased exposure to CSA, measured by number of interviews in the past six months, was associated with higher levels of STS. Positive coping strategies, negative coping strategies, anxiety and depression all had a strong, positive relationship with STS.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is a first step to understanding STS in CAIU police officers in the England and Wales. This area of research remains under-developed and would benefit from further attention in the future.Originality/valueThis is the first known study of its kind in the UK.

Crimes Against Caring: Exploring the Risk of Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction Among Child Exploitation Investigators

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout are debilitating occupational hazards that inhibit helping professional’s overall well-being. Much of the extant scholarship on this topic has focused on mental health and child welfare workers and not law enforcement officials who investigate Internet child exploitation. This study used data from 433 Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force personnel to explore the impact of individual and work-related factors associated with the risk of STS, burnout, and compassion satisfaction. Findings indicated that nearly one in four ICAC personnel exhibited low compassion satisfaction and high levels of STS and burnout. Individual-level protective factors for increasing compassion satisfaction and mitigating symptoms of STS and burnout included having a strong social support system outside of work and the frequent use of positive coping mechanisms. Work-related risk factors such as frequent indirect exposure to disturbing materials, low organizational support, and frequently feeling overwhelmed at work were all associated with higher STS and burnout and lower levels of compassion satisfaction. Policy implications and future avenues of research are discussed.

Secondary traumatic stress in school personnel

Although research has examined secondary traumatic stress (STS) among mental health workers, no studies have systematically addressed STS among public school personnel. Given the amount of time children spend in school (7–8 h per day) and high national estimates of youth trauma exposure, this line of inquiry is warranted. Participants included 229 school staff members across six schools in the northwestern USA. Results indicated that school staff reported very high levels of STS, despite also deriving satisfaction from doing their job well at levels that approximate national averages of job satisfaction. Their levels of job burnout are remarkably average. Although individuals working in mental health receive training in recognition of STS in self and colleagues, and are provided with STS referral, mitigation, and treatment opportunities on the job, no opportunities such as these are routinely provided for school personnel. Implications and recommendations for such programs are discussed.