Stephanie E Armes1, Jacquelyn J Lee2, Brian E Bride3, Desiree M Seponski4. 1. Department of Marriage and Family Therapy, School of Psychology, Family, and Community, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA, United States. Electronic address: sarmes@spu.edu. 2. School of Social Work, College of Health and Human Services, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, United States. 3. School of Social Work, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States. 4. Department of Human Development and Family Science, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Secondary traumatic stress (STS), symptomatology resulting from indirect exposure to trauma, is one potential negative effect from engaging in clinical social work. Yet, little is known about the relationship between STS and workers' distress and impairment due to their work. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper was to explore STS in a national sample of clinical social workers (N = 539). METHOD AND RESULTS: A structural equation model demonstrating good model fit indicated that STS mediated the association between trauma exposure at work and reports of significant distress and impairment (β = .08, p < .01; 95 % CI = .03, .12). Likewise, STS mediated the association between working with children aged 13 and under and reports of significant distress and impairment (β = .05, p < .05; 95 % CI = .02, .09). Results indicated that the model accounted for 25 % of the variance in significant distress and impairment (R2 = .25, p < .001) and 5% of the variance in STS (R2 = .05, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Implications for agencies working with child welfare are provided, including a discussion of addressing STS and significant distress and impairment at the individual and larger agency levels.
BACKGROUND:Secondary traumatic stress (STS), symptomatology resulting from indirect exposure to trauma, is one potential negative effect from engaging in clinical social work. Yet, little is known about the relationship between STS and workers' distress and impairment due to their work. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper was to explore STS in a national sample of clinical social workers (N = 539). METHOD AND RESULTS: A structural equation model demonstrating good model fit indicated that STS mediated the association between trauma exposure at work and reports of significant distress and impairment (β = .08, p < .01; 95 % CI = .03, .12). Likewise, STS mediated the association between working with children aged 13 and under and reports of significant distress and impairment (β = .05, p < .05; 95 % CI = .02, .09). Results indicated that the model accounted for 25 % of the variance in significant distress and impairment (R2 = .25, p < .001) and 5% of the variance in STS (R2 = .05, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Implications for agencies working with child welfare are provided, including a discussion of addressing STS and significant distress and impairment at the individual and larger agency levels.
Authors: Taneile Ashlea Kitchingman; Peter Caputi; Alan Woodward; Coralie Joy Wilson; Ian Wilson Journal: PLoS One Date: 2018-12-19 Impact factor: 3.240