Journal article
Secondary Traumatic Stress and Related Factors in Australian Social Workers and Psychologists
Health & Social Work, Vol.45(2), pp.122-130
2020
PMID: 32355983
Abstract
Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is an indirect form of trauma affecting the psychological well-being of mental health workers. This study examined STS and related factors of empathetic behavior and trauma caseload among a purposive sample of 190 social workers and psychologists. Participants completed an online questionnaire comprising demographics, the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, and the Empathy Scale for Social Workers. A moderated moderation model was used to evaluate the hypothesized relationship between the amount of trauma in clinician caseload and STS, as moderated by empathy and personal trauma history. Approximately 30 percent of participants met the criteria for a diagnosis of STS. Results indicated that although caseload trauma was not an independent predictor of STS, there was a significant interaction between caseload trauma and personal trauma history on STS. Similarly, empathy alone was not directly related to changes in STS, yet the trauma in caseload effect on STS was moderated by empathy, and that relationship was moderated by personal trauma history. This overall effect was shown to significantly predict STS. The current study highlights the importance of developing evidence-based risk strategies for mental health workers working in the area of trauma and at risk of developing symptoms of STS.
Details
- Title
- Secondary Traumatic Stress and Related Factors in Australian Social Workers and Psychologists
- Authors
- Samantha Rayner (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Social Sciences - LegacyCindy Davis (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Social Sciences - LegacyMatthew Moore (Author) - University of South FloridaTamara Cadet (Author) - Simmons College
- Publication details
- Health & Social Work, Vol.45(2), pp.122-130
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Date published
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.1093/hsw/hlaa001
- ISSN
- 1545-6854
- PMID
- 32355983
- Organisation Unit
- School of Law and Society; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; Cancer Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99482296502621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
81 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Social Work
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites