What Comes First, Job Burnout or Secondary Traumatic Stress? Findings from Two Longitudinal Studies from the U.S. and Poland

Abstract

This longitudinal research examined the directions of the relationships between job burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS) among human services workers. In particular, using cross-lagged panel design, we investigated whether job burnout predicts STS at 6-month follow up or whether the level of STS symptoms explains job burnout at 6-month follow-up. Participants in Study 1 were behavioral or mental healthcare providers (N = 135) working with U.S. military personnel suffering from trauma. Participants in Study 2 were healthcare providers, social workers, and other human services professions (N = 194) providing various types of services for civilian trauma survivors in Poland. The cross-lagged analyses showed consistent results for both longitudinal studies; job burnout measured at Time 1 led to STS at Time 2, but STS assessed at Time 1 did not lead to job burnout at Time 2. These results contribute to a discussion on the origins of STS and job burnout among human services personnel working in highly demanding context of work-related secondary exposure to traumatic events and confirm that job burnout contributes to the development of STS.

Secondary Traumatic Stress in Foster Carers: Risk Factors and Implications for Intervention

“…The two ProQOL subscales were well differentiated, with burnout questions being unrelated to trauma material exposure. The correlation may instead be consistent with burnout and STS having similar risk factors (Cieslak et al 2014), or with burnout contributing to resource depletion and thus increased vulnerability to STS, as suggested by longitudinal studies (Kotaro et al 2015;Shoji et al 2015) and, more generally, the Lazarus and Folkman (1984) stress model. Given self-care, empathy and resilience all negatively predicted burnout in the path analysis, these three predictors could constitute resources which when depleted may no longer offer mitigation of STS development.…”

“…Regarding the relationship between burnout and STS, a meta-analysis of professionals working with trauma survivors (Cieslak et al 2014) found strong associations between burnout and STS, suggesting this may be due to both constructs sharing the same risk factors. Longitudinal studies have found a unidirectional relationship, with earlier burnout predicting increased risk of later STS but not viceversa (Kotaro et al 2015;Shoji et al 2015). Thus, burnout may deplete resources which in turn mitigate STS development, an explanation congruent with Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) theory of stressor appraisal being influenced by, and influencing, coping resources.…”

“…In support, Itzhaki et al (2015) found that self-care moderated burnout and CF in nurses in a five-country study. This could be interpreted relative to Kotaro et al (2015) and Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) theories that burnout depletes resources; self-care may build up (coping) resources which reduce the likelihood of exposure to traumatic material resulting in STS. Ludick and Figley (2017) included selfcare as a predictor of CF resilience.…”

Estresse Traumático Secundário em Psicólogos

“…Os psicólogos são subme dos constantemente a histórias traumá cas durante sua prá ca profi ssional (Devilly, Wright, & Varker, 2009;Robinson-Keilig, 2014) e o impacto disso para sua saúde mental é pouco explorado. No seu co diano, o psicólogo ouve relatos de traumas, tragédias e perdas, podendo deixá-lo sobrecarregado emocionalmente e acarretar sen mentos de medo, dor e sofrimento, semelhante aos vivenciados pelos seus pacientes (Devilly, Wright, & Varker, 2009;Shoji et al, 2015). Alguns profi ssionais podem ser capazes de tolerar a exposição a fatores de estresse sem manifestações nega vas, enquanto outros são menos tolerantes a essa exposição (Simpson & Starkey, 2006).…”

“…Num estudo com 320 psicoterapeutas, Robinson-Keilig (2014) verifi cou que as pessoas que apresentavam altos níveis de ETS nham baixa sa sfação nas relações interpessoais, dificuldades em ter in midade com o outro e padrões de comunicação que envolviam difi culdades de ter uma comunicação constru va, evitando falar dos problemas. Shoji et al (2015) referem que índices altos de síndrome de Burnout predizem o ETS numa amostra de psicólogos clínicos e assistentes sociais. Os psicólogos cons tuem uma categoria profi ssional vulnerável ao adoecimento por ETS, uma vez que suas a vidades envolvem a habilidade empá ca e a escuta constante de histórias traumá cas vivenciadas pelos pacientes (Figley, 1995).…”