Does Where You Work and What You Do Matter? Testing the Role of Organizational Context and Job Type for Future Study of Occupation-Based Secondary Trauma Intervention Development

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2023-12

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Sage Journals

Abstract

Organizational context (e.g., criminal justice, community-based, and healthcare) and job type (e.g., police, social workers, and healthcare providers) may impact the extent of occupation-based secondary trauma (OBST). Survey data collected from a multiphase community-based participatory research project were analyzed from a variety of professionals, who were likely to “encounter the consequences of traumatic events as part of their professional responsibilities” (n = 391, women = 55%, White = 92%). Results document high trauma exposure (adverse childhood experiences [ACEs] and workplace) and OBST-related outcomes (Maslach Burnout Inventory, Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, post-traumatic stress disorder symptom checklist for DSM-5) for the entire sample with important differences across organizational context and job type. Using multivariate regression, the strongest determinants of suffering, however, were not related to a provider’s specific profession but to their number of years on the job and their ACEs (e.g., adjusted R2 = 0.23, b = 2.01, p < .001). Likewise, the most protective factors were not profession specific but rather the provider’s age and perceived effectiveness of OBST-related training (e.g., b = 2.26, p < .001). These findings inform intervention development and have implications for rural and other often under-resourced areas, where the same OBST-related intervention could potentially serve many different types of providers and organizations.

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Copyright The Authors 2023

Keywords

secondary traumatic stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, burnout, adverse childhood experiences, workplace trauma exposure, victim services

Citation

Knight, K. E., Ellis, C., Miller, T., Neu, J., & Helfrich, L. (2023). Does Where You Work and What You Do Matter? Testing the Role of Organizational Context and Job Type for Future Study of Occupation-Based Secondary Trauma Intervention Development. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231211927

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