When needs are high but resources are low: A study of burnout and secondary traumatic stress symptoms among nurses and nursing students in rural Uganda.

Author(s):  
Lauren M. Dewey ◽  
Maureen A. Allwood
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-263
Author(s):  
Hana Berliani Adiningsih ◽  
Zainal Abidin

The spiking exposure of traumatic events faced by workers and volunteers in handling violence against women has the potential to lead to compassion fatigue. This research sought to describe the experience and protective factors of compassion fatigue in Complaint and Referral Unit volunteers who provide services to female victims of violence in Komnas Perempuan. A total of 3 respondents participated in this study through online interview. Thematic analysis is performed to analyze the data. The result suggested that the participants had compassion fatigue symptoms, which included burnout and secondary traumatic stress symptoms. The experience of burnout included physical and emotional exhaustion as well as guilt and helplessness. Whereas secondary traumatic stress was expressed in preoccupation of thoughts about victim’s violence case and projection in personal relationships. Nevertheless, these symptoms had been resolved due to protective factors such as personal characteristics (educational background and self-care) and social support (personal and professional support from the organization). This study added to our knowledge on how to create supportive system for volunters who provide services for victims of violence against women.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-94
Author(s):  
Rina Eko Widarsih ◽  
Rahma Widyana ◽  
Siti Noor Fatmah Lailatusifah

Secondary traumatic stress symptoms are marked by the emergence of traumatic memories experienced by otherpeople, rejection of the stimulus that triggers traumatic memories, and emotional turmoil. If left untreated, it maylower the quality of service and health of social workers. To lower secondary traumatic stress symptoms, it isnecessary to deliver psychological treatment that can be easily and independently done, is effective and cost-efficient, and universal. As such, Therapeutic Tremor Exercises through Self-Induction are consideredappropriate to respond to this need. This study aims to identify the effect of self-induced unclassified therapeutictremor exercises on reducing secondary traumatic stress levels. This study hypothesizes that there will bedifferences in secondary traumatic stress levels among social workers before and after samples are given self-induced therapeutic tremor exercises. Subjects consisted of female social workers (n = 5) who were indirectlyexposed to traumatic stories of victims for at least 2 hours a week. The study used a single-group pre-post designby comparing secondary trauma stress levels before and after the intervention. The intervention was a one-dayjoint training and 14-day independent training. Wilcoxon’s signed-rank test showed significant differences withZ = -2.023, p = .043, whereby secondary trauma stress levels prior to the intervention (M = 45.4) was higher thanafter the intervention (M = 26.2).


2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 520-529
Author(s):  
Johan Herman Cronje ◽  
Makhosonke Julias Vilakazi

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between exposure to traumatised complainants and secondary traumatic stress. It also established the occurrence of secondary traumatic stress and the degree to which police detective officers reported secondary traumatic stress symptoms. Data were obtained on 51 police detective officers working in the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit of the South African Police Service. A quantitative, correlational research design was employed to achieve the aim of the study. The sample was obtained using a combination of convenience and purposive sampling techniques. The majority of police detective officers reported some degree of secondary traumatic stress symptoms as they are frequently exposed to traumatised complainants. No significant statistical relationship was found between exposure to traumatised complainants and secondary traumatic stress. Nonetheless, there was a statistically significant relationship between the type of crime and secondary traumatic stress among the police detective officers in the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit of the South African Police Service unit. Future research should investigate other pivotal risks and protective factors, such as environmental factors and personal factors that may have an impact on the development of secondary traumatic stress in the police detective officers.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0247596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Ogińska-Bulik ◽  
Piotr Jerzy Gurowiec ◽  
Paulina Michalska ◽  
Edyta Kędra

Introduction Medical personnel is an occupational group that is especially prone to secondary traumatic stress. The factors conditioning its occurrence include organizational and work-related factors, as well as personal features and traits. The aim of this study was to determine Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) indicators in a group of medical personnel, considering occupational load, job satisfaction, social support, and cognitive processing of trauma. Material and methods Results obtained from 419 medical professionals, paramedics and nurses, were analyzed. The age of study participants ranged from 19 to 65 (M = 39.60, SD = 11.03). A questionnaire developed for this research including questions about occupational indicators as well as four standard evaluation tools: Secondary Traumatic Stress Inventory, Job Satisfaction Scale, Social Support Scale which measures four support sources (supervisors, coworkers, family, friends) and Cognitive Processing of Trauma Scale which allows to evaluate cognitive coping strategies (positive cognitive restructuring, downward comparison, resolution/acceptance, denial, regret) were used in the study. Results The results showed that the main predictor of STS symptoms in the studied group of medical personnel is job satisfaction. Two cognitive strategies also turned out to be predictors of STS, that is regret (positive relation) and resolution/acceptance (negative relation). The contribution of other analyzed variables, i.e., denial, workload and social support to explaining the dependent variable is rather small. Conclusions Paramedics and nurses are at the high risk of indirect traumatic exposure and thus may be more prone to secondary traumatic stress symptoms development. It is important to include the medical personnel in the actions aiming at prevention and reduction of STS symptoms.


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