Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Child Welfare Workers in the United States

Abstract

This study investigates secondary traumatic stress (STS) in child welfare workers, using a mixed method design to identify mitigating and contributing factors in child welfare workers (N = 103) who attended STS trainings in New York State, USA. This study also adds to the qualitative research literature on social work practice by shedding light on the lived experiences of child welfare workers, and by demonstrating both deductive and inductive techniques used in identifying key themes in qualitative content analysis. Findings from the quantitative portion of the study indicate significant levels of STS among New York state child protective workers. Findings from the qualitative data suggest that child welfare workers with STS perceive several factors modifying or mediating level of STS, categorized in the following areas: 1) prior personal history of worker trauma; 2) coping style; 3) organizational factors; and 4) worker perceptions of their stress.