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<p>This study examined secondary traumatic stress (STS), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, empathy, perceived social support, and coping experiences among professionals working in child welfare. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used. The sample comprised 258 professionals providing psychosocial services to children in Istanbul, Türkiye. Quantitative data were collected using the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Basic Empathy Scale. In-depth interviews were conducted with 32 volunteers. While quantitative findings indicated mild levels of STS and PTSD symptoms, qualitative findings revealed moderate to severe emotional distress among some professionals, highlighting experiences that were not fully reflected in quantitative scores. Correlation analyses showed a strong positive association between STS and PTSD symptoms, whereas perceived social support was negatively associated with both STS and PTSD symptoms, and empathy showed a weak positive association with STS. Multiple regression analysis showed that PTSD symptoms were the only significant independent predictors of STS (B = 1.071, <i>p</i> &lt; .001). The overall model explained 62.7% of the variance in STS, whereas empathy and perceived social support did not make significant independent contributions. Mediation analyses further indicated that secondary traumatic stress significantly mediated the relationships between empathy and PTSD symptoms and between perceived social support and PTSD symptoms, supporting indirect-only mediation in both models. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of trauma-informed organizational support alongside individual coping resources in promoting the psychological well-being and professional sustainability of child welfare practitioners.</p>

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Secondary Traumatic Stress and Coping Strategies among Professionals Delivering Psychosocial Services to Children: A Mixed-Methods Study

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月23日

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  • Elif Demirbaş,
  • Reyhan Saydam

摘要

This study examined secondary traumatic stress (STS), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, empathy, perceived social support, and coping experiences among professionals working in child welfare. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used. The sample comprised 258 professionals providing psychosocial services to children in Istanbul, Türkiye. Quantitative data were collected using the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Basic Empathy Scale. In-depth interviews were conducted with 32 volunteers. While quantitative findings indicated mild levels of STS and PTSD symptoms, qualitative findings revealed moderate to severe emotional distress among some professionals, highlighting experiences that were not fully reflected in quantitative scores. Correlation analyses showed a strong positive association between STS and PTSD symptoms, whereas perceived social support was negatively associated with both STS and PTSD symptoms, and empathy showed a weak positive association with STS. Multiple regression analysis showed that PTSD symptoms were the only significant independent predictors of STS (B = 1.071, p < .001). The overall model explained 62.7% of the variance in STS, whereas empathy and perceived social support did not make significant independent contributions. Mediation analyses further indicated that secondary traumatic stress significantly mediated the relationships between empathy and PTSD symptoms and between perceived social support and PTSD symptoms, supporting indirect-only mediation in both models. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of trauma-informed organizational support alongside individual coping resources in promoting the psychological well-being and professional sustainability of child welfare practitioners.