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

Objective: This study examined whether secondary traumatic stress (STS), defined by the expanded 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.

Method: 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.

A Socioecological Approach to Understanding Secondary Trauma in Professionals Working with Survivors of Sex Trafficking: A Hierarchical Regression Analysis.

Individuals who are trafficked for sex have high rates of trauma exposure prior to and while being trafficked; therefore, professionals who work with this population are potentially exposed to high levels of trauma details increasing their risk of developing secondary traumatic stress (STS). This study investigated the STS symptoms of professionals working with survivors of sex trafficking utilizing a socioecological framework to guide the design and analysis. An online survey was completed by 583 respondents from a broad range of organizational settings who completed measures tapping into STS symptoms, lifetime trauma exposures, history of being sex-trafficked, dose of direct and indirect trauma exposure at work, use of emotional and instrumental support to cope, state report cards on sex trafficking policies, and organizational-level practices toward being STS informed.

Child Traumatic Stress and COVID-19: The Impact of the Pandemic on a Clinical Sample of Children in Trauma Treatment.

Unlabelled: Given the scope and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not surprising that research has documented negative effects to youth's mental health. Yet, there is negligible research on the impact of the pandemic among clinical samples of youth receiving treatment for pre-existing trauma exposure and symptoms. The current study investigates COVID-19 as an index trauma, and if prior traumatic stress scores mediate the relationship between pandemic-related exposure and subsequent traumatic stress.

Analysis of implementation drivers of secondary traumatic stress (STS)-informed organizational change and experiences of STS and burnout in child welfare.

Background: STS and burnout (BO) are significant problems for child welfare professionals (Bride, 2007; Craig & Sprang, 2010). A challenge for at-risk professions is to understand how both individuals and organizations can address the potential impact of these conditions.

Objective: This study explores the influence of organizational factors on individual experiences of STS and BO in child welfare settings.

The impact of COVID-19 and experiences of secondary traumatic stress and burnout.

Objective: This study examines the relationships between multiple COVID-19 related stressors and experiences of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout (BO).

Method: This sample (N = 550) of professionals and caregivers from a foster care system in the United States completed an online survey regarding their experiences of COVID-19 related stress in multiple domains (disruptions in routines, income/employment, food access, medical/mental health care access, access to social support, worries about COVID, family conflict/violence, and COVID diagnoses). The survey also included established measures of STS and BO.

Foster care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative analysis of caregiver and professional experiences.

Background: Research is needed to facilitate better understanding of how different groups have been impacted by COVID-19, especially those in already strained service systems such as foster care. These inquiries will support further response, recovery and preparedness efforts.

Objective: This qualitative study addressed how professionals and caregivers in foster care described being affected by COVID-19 in order to support future research and planning for foster care systems in this pandemic context.

Diagnostic and Translational Utility of the Secondary Traumatic Stress Clinical Algorithm (STS-CA).

Current tools available to assess secondary traumatic stress (STS) do not account for whether the symptoms are functionally related to indirect trauma, determine functional impairment caused by the STS symptoms, and/or consider the duration of the disturbance. This prevents delineation of various expressions of traumatic stress related to indirect trauma that may constitute the phenomenon of STS. The STS Clinical Algorithm (STS-CA) was developed to make these distinctions, so that interventions can be tailored to need.

Identifying the trauma recovery needs of maltreated children: An examination of child welfare workers' effectiveness in screening for traumatic stress.

Children in the child welfare system comprise a group characterized by exposure to trauma via experiences of maltreatment, under circumstances presenting multiple risk factors for traumatic stress. High rates of posttraumatic stress have been observed in this population. However, there is currently no standard for the universal screening of children in child welfare for trauma exposure and traumatic stress.

The pathway to grandparenting stress: trauma, relational conflict, and emotional well-being.

Objectives: This paper examines the mediating effect of child-grandparent conflict on the relationship between child trauma exposure and grandparenting stress.

Methods: Data was collected from a sample of custodial grandparents who participated in kinship care or relative caregiving programs (n = 251). Grandparenting stress was measured with Parenting Stress Scale (Berry & Jones, 1995 ) modified for grandparents.

Narrative coherence and the trauma experience: an exploratory mixed-method analysis.

The current study examines trauma narratives from 28 survivors of interpersonal violence. A mixed-method approach assessed coherence and explored narrative characteristics among differentially exposed groups. The quantitative analysis revealed: (1) exposure to repetitive interpersonal violence was described with greater perception of severity and emotional tone than single interpersonal violence episodes, and (2) exposure to interpersonal violence in childhood was described with greater emotional tone than exposure to interpersonal violence in adulthood.

'Better than nothing' is not good enough: challenges to introducing evidence-based approaches for traumatized populations.

Rationale: Focus group data were generated by a larger, mixed-methods investigation on treatment practices among therapists working with significantly traumatized populations in a primarily rural, underdeveloped region of the USA. This paper explores reasons behind low utilization of evidence-based practices (EBPs) that putatively would benefit poor communities where these behavioural health care providers serve.

Methods: Eight focus groups of 45 licensed and certified behavioural health professionals were conducted over a 6-month period of time in 2006.