Determinants of Secondary Traumatic Stress among Public Social Welfare Specialists

Abstract

This study was to identify major risk factors associated with secondary traumatic stress in a sample of 654 public social welfare specialists. Findings indicated that 69.0% of the subjects experienced secondary traumatic stress, and 36.9% of them were in a high-risk group. Multiple regression analysis showed that the risk of the secondary traumatic stress was associated with gender, work hours, physical violence and threats from clients, coping strategies, and vocational self-efficacy. Based on these results, several interventions for preventing the incidence of secondary traumatic stress among public social welfare specialists are suggested as the follows: construction of secure job environment, development of educational programs for improving vocational self-efficacy and coping skills, and implementation of mental health screening system on a regular basis to prevent the outbreak of mental disease among the workers.■ keyword :|Secondary Traumatic Stress|Client Violence|Coping Strategies|Vocational Self-Efficacy|

Occupational Stress and Quality of Life in Mental Health Welfare Center Workers

“…Among the subfactors of occupational stress, physical environment and job instability were found to significantly affect secondary traumatic stress. In a previous study, Yang and Kim [33] reported that the risk of experiencing violence was the highest among the factors affecting secondary traumatic stress in female social workers. According to Bride [34], secondary traumatic stress was higher when there was higher probability of accidents or assault and verbal abuse from service recipients, greater physical burden and long hours of work in an uncomfortable posture.…”

When does compassion fatigue hit social workers? Caring for oncology patients in Korea

“…Although our participants reported that maintaining boundaries could be challenging, setting boundaries that separate professional work and personal life served to protect them from feeling overwhelmed or helpless. Indeed, in a study by Yang and Kim (2015), the use of avoidance coping strategies among public social workers was associated with decreased levels of secondary trauma. These avoidance or boundary-setting strategies were also reported in previous studies (e.g.…”

“…Previous studies exploring the experiences of cancer care workers focused on oncology nurses and physicians (Hesselgrave, 2014; Najjar et al., 2009; Slocum-Gori et al., 2013), but inadequate attention has been paid to oncology social workers’ compassion fatigue and how they cope with such fatigue. Recently, several studies on social workers’ secondary traumatic stress have been conducted among South Korean samples (Um and Jang, 2014; Yang and Kim, 2015), and interventions for secondary traumatic stress have been explored (Choi, 2008). Yang and Kim (2015) examined risk factors for secondary traumatic stress among female public social workers, and Um and Jang (2014) investigated the process of coping with secondary traumatic stress of child welfare social workers.…”

“…Recently, several studies on social workers’ secondary traumatic stress have been conducted among South Korean samples (Um and Jang, 2014; Yang and Kim, 2015), and interventions for secondary traumatic stress have been explored (Choi, 2008). Yang and Kim (2015) examined risk factors for secondary traumatic stress among female public social workers, and Um and Jang (2014) investigated the process of coping with secondary traumatic stress of child welfare social workers. However, most studies have focused on social workers working with populations affected by traumas, such as child abuse or domestic violence; no studies have delved into the compassion fatigue of medical social workers exposed to clients who have experienced a traumatic illness, cancer.…”