The authors found that in non-clinical studies no evidence of secondary traumatization, while clinical studies only showed evidence for secondary traumatization when additional stressors were also present. (2003) conducted a meta-analysis of 32 studies with 4,418 participants in which they explored secondary trauma in children of Holocaust survivors. Services similar to the ones listed above for the first responder population were valuable for reducing secondary traumatic stress symptoms amongst medical staff working with traumatic populations in hospital settings. Similarly, research highlights the importance of psychological services for nurses and medical professionals. Changes in these areas would foster resiliency for developing STS. Organizational changes that can be addressed include work culture, workload, group support, supervision and education, and the modification of the work environment. This highlights the need for strategies targeted toward the organizational and systemic level in addition to the individual level. Job context is a greater risk factor for developing STS in first responders compared to the job content. Studies explain how secondary traumatic stress can negatively impact job performance in first responders which can lead to adverse outcomes not only for the first responders, but for the victims they seek to help. Public librarians work closely with vulnerable, at-risk populations, and often experience emotional and psychological strain while doing so. Īnother social work-related profession that is impacted by secondary trauma is librarianship. Some of the protective factors for mental health care workers include years of experience in the profession, more time spent in self-care activities and high self-efficacy. Lastly, as the number of patients seen by these workers increases, so do the chances of developing STS. Additionally, individuals who have less work support as well as less social support are at higher risk for developing STS. Workers who have had a history of trauma are more likely to develop STS. Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) impacts many individuals in the mental health field and as of 2013 the prevalence rates for STS amongst different professions is as follows: 15.2% among social workers, 16.3% in oncology staff, 19% in substance abuse counselors, 32.8% in emergency nurses, 34% in child protective services workers, and 39% in juvenile justice education workers There is a strong correlation between burnout and secondary traumatic stress among mental health care professionals who are indirectly exposed to trauma and there are a multitude of different risk factors that contribute to the likelihood of developing secondary traumatic stress amongst individuals who conduct therapy with trauma victims.
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