Secondary traumatic stress among disaster mental health workers responding to the September 11 attacks

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terri Lynn Creamer ◽  
Becky J. Liddle
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Secondary Traumatic Stress ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
September 11 ◽  
Mental Health Workers ◽  
Disaster Mental Health ◽  
September 11 Attacks

scholarly journals The development of a model for dealing with secondary traumatic stress in mental health workers in Rwanda

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean D. Iyamuremye ◽  
Petra Brysiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Secondary Traumatic Stress ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Mental Health Workers ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Physical Consequences ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level

Introduction: Mental health workers who listen to stories of fear, pain and distress of traumatised clients may develop deleterious emotional, cognitive and physical consequences (Cairns, 2007). This phenomenon has been called secondary traumatic stress (STS) (Perez, Jones, Englert, & Sachau, 2010). Rwanda is well-known for the 1994 genocide, with the death of hundreds of thousands of people in a planned campaign of violence. Numerous mental health workers operating in Rwanda were also victims of the violence and it has been suggested that there is a high level of STS in mental health workers in Rwanda (Iyamuremye & Brysiewicz, 2008).Aim: To develop a comprehensive model to manage the effects of STS in mental health workers operating in Rwanda.Method: An action research project was initiated to develop this model and data for the model was collected through individual interviews with mental health workers (nurses, doctors, psychologists, trauma counsellors and social workers) as well as a quantitative tool measuring secondary traumatic stress (Trauma Attachment Belief Scale) in these health workers.Results: The Intervention Model to Manage Secondary Traumatic Stress (IMMSTS) was synthesised from these findings and includes preventive, evaluative and curative strategies to manage STS in mental health workers in Rwanda at the individual, social and organisational levels.Conclusion: The model will offer mental health professionals an effective framework for addressing the issue of STS.

Secondary Traumatic Stress and Related Factors in Australian Social Workers and Psychologists

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-130
Author(s):  
Samantha Rayner ◽  
Cindy Davis ◽  
Matthew Moore ◽  
Tamara Cadet
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Secondary Traumatic Stress ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Workers ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Trauma History ◽  
Personal Trauma

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.

Secondary traumatic stress: An investigation of Canadian mental health workers.

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 272-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marla Buchanan ◽  
John O. Anderson ◽  
Max R. Uhlemann ◽  
Erika Horwitz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Secondary Traumatic Stress ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Mental Health Workers

scholarly journals Post-traumatic stress disorder among the staff of a mental health hospital: Prevalence and risk factors

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony A. Olashore ◽  
Oluyemi O. Akanni ◽  
Keneilwe Molebatsi ◽  
John A. Ogunjumo
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychiatric Hospital ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Mental Health Workers ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic

Background: Mental health service providers are frequently exposed to stress and violence in the line of duty. There is a dearth of data concerning the psychological sequelae of the frequent exposure to stress and violence, especially among those who work in resource-limited countries such as Botswana.Aim: To determine the prevalence and predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among mental health workers in a tertiary mental health institute in Botswana.Setting: The study was conducted in Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital, which is the only referral psychiatric hospital in Botswana.Methods: The study used a descriptive cross-sectional design. A total of 201 mental health workers completed a researcher-designed psycho-socio-demographic questionnaire, which included one neuroticism item of the Big Five Inventory, and a PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), which was used to assess symptoms of PTSD.Results: Majority of the study participants were general nurses (n = 121, 60.5%) and females (n = 122, 60.7%). Thirty-seven (18.4%) of the participants met the criteria for PTSD. Exposure to violence in the past 12 months (AOR = 3.26; 95% CI: 1.49–7.16) and high neuroticism score (AOR = 2.72; 95% CI: 1.19–6.24) were significantly associated with the diagnosis of PTSD among the participants.Conclusion: Post-traumatic stress disorder could result from stressful events encountered in the course of managing patients in mental health institutes and departments. Pre-placement personality evaluation of health workers to be assigned to work in psychiatric units and post-incident trauma counselling of those exposed to violence may be beneficial in reducing the occurrence of PTSD in mental hospital health care workers.

Disaster mental health workers responding to ground zero: One year later

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Scott Daly ◽  
Suzy Bird Gulliver ◽  
Rose T. Zimering ◽  
Jeffrey Knight ◽  
Barbara W. Kamholz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Mental Health Workers ◽  
Disaster Mental Health ◽  
Ground Zero ◽  
One Year

Mindfulness and Mantra Training for Disaster Mental Health Workers in the Philippines

Mindfulness ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1181-1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn C. Waelde ◽  
Ma. Regina M. Hechanova ◽  
Pia Anna P. Ramos ◽  
Kathryn S. Macia ◽  
Jenna M. Moschetto
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Mental Health Workers ◽  
Disaster Mental Health

Displaced Syrian Mental Health Workers: An Investigation of Professional Quality of Life

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aseel Hamid ◽  
Katrina Scior ◽  
Walid Abdul-Hamid ◽  
Amanda C de C Williams
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Secondary Traumatic Stress ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Compassion Satisfaction ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Mental Health Workers ◽  
Professional Quality Of Life ◽  
Professional Quality

Abstract This study investigates levels of secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and compassion satisfaction in Syrian mental health workers (MHWs) in a low-resource post-conflict environment. Sixty-one Syrian MHWs completed a cross-sectional questionnaire, in Arabic, incorporating the professional quality of life (ProQOL) scale. Our Arabic-translated ProQOL scale showed acceptable internal consistency estimates of reliability for all subscales. Relative to population norms and other samples of MHWs, the Syrian MHWs showed similar levels of burnout and higher levels of secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction. Those with no psychology-related educational background showed significantly higher secondary traumatic stress and burnout scores and significantly lower compassion satisfaction scores relative to those with a relevant educational background. Our findings indicate acceptable levels of ProQOL in Syrian MHWs, with the exception of those with no educational background in psychology. Training Syrian MHWs, with an emphasis on increasing the availability of educational training and adequate supervision and support, provides a sustainable solution to the provision of culturally and language-specific care in low-resource conflict settings.

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