Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction Among Child Advocacy Interdisciplinary Team Members

Recent research has examined the stress and indirect trauma experienced by helping professionals who work with survivors of direct trauma, including interpersonal violence. Little of this research has focused on Child Advocacy Center team members. This practice-based survey research addresses that gap. The study examined secondary traumatic stress (STS), burnout, and compassion satisfaction (CS) in interdisciplinary team members (n=36) of one Child Advocacy Center in the southern United States, and explored relationships between CS, STS, and burnout. As assessed by the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, 50% of participants experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms due to STS. Based on the Professional Quality of Life Scale, burnout was low and CS was high. Those with higher CS had lower burnout and STS. Positive associations were also found between life stresses in the past year as measured by the Social Readjustment Rating Scale and STS and burnout, but not CS. Practitioners, agency supervisors, and administrators need to be aware of the effects of trauma work, regularly assess for these effects, and provide opportunities for support and debriefing. Schools of social work should consider developing and implementing specialized units on STS and self-care.

Childhood adversities and prior involvement with child protective services

Objectives We aimed to determine the relation between childhood adversities and prior involvement with Child Protective Services (CPS) history among children presenting for evaluation at a Child Advocacy Center. Study design The study evaluated children presenting to a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) from 2009 to 2014. A five-item child adversity measure, based on mother’s report, was characterized into a scale of none, one, or two or more adversities. Caseworkers at the CAC assessed whether families had a prior history of involvement with CPS. Results Among the 727 children included in the analyses, 43% had a prior history of involvement with CPS. Twenty-six percent of the children experienced one childhood adversity while 29% experienced two or more. In regression analyses adjusting for socio-demographics, experiencing one (Prevalence Ratio (PR) 1.25 95%CI 1.0–1.5) or two or more adversities (PR1.67 95%CI 1.4, 2.0) was associated with higher prevalence of CPS history compared to those who reported none. Conclusions Childhood adversities are associated with prior contact with CPS, suggesting there are missed opportunities to provide services to high-risk families. CACs may be in a unique position to advocate for families and prevent further victimization of children.

Sexual Abuse Disclosure Mediates the Effect of an Abuse Prevention Program on Substantiation

Although abuse prevention programs have proliferated, little research has explored the direct effects of such programs on actual child sexual abuse disclosure rates, and no research has explored the effects of such programs on child sexual abuse substantiation. Employing a quasi-experimental design, the present research reflects an exploration of the effects of exposure to the Think First and Stay Safe™ abuse prevention program on abuse disclosure rates of 319 children who underwent a child forensic interview within 2015–2018 in a Midwestern child advocacy center. Supporting our mediational hypotheses, children exposed (vs. not exposed) to the Think First and Stay Safe™ program were significantly more likely to disclose abuse during the forensic interview, which in turn predicted significantly increased abuse substantiation likelihood.