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Understanding the Relationship Between Personal Trauma History and Secondary Traumatic Stress: The Mediating Role of the Current Impact of Personal Trauma History
Social and healthcare service providers are frequently exposed to the traumatic experiences of those seeking services and consequently at risk for developing secondary traumatic stress (STS). Efforts to understand salient factors in the development of STS have increased, and the literature suggests a personal trauma history (PTH) is a significant risk factor. Yet, little consensus about the relationship of PTH and STS exists across studies. As such, the purpose of the present study is to utilize a more robust and specific operationalization of PTH to investigate the relationship between PTH and STS.
Methods:
This research includes findings from two studies. Using a survey research design, both were aimed at examining prevalence of STS as well as associated risk and protective factors. Focus on one particular risk factor—PTH—is examined here. STS was measured with the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS). PTH was measured with three variables: presence of PTH (yes/no); extent of initial negative impact of trauma; and extent of current negative impact of trauma (using a Likert response pattern).
Sample
Study 1 included military primary care and mental health providers (n = 70). Participant scores on the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS) ranged from 17-68 and had a sample mean score of 30.76 (SD = 12.33). Study 2 included masters-level clinical social workers currently employed in direct practice (n = 539). Scores from the Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS) ranged from 17-54 and had a sample mean score of 28.01 (SD = 8.67).
Analysis
Zero-order correlations of the variables to be included in the mediation analysis were calculated, and then a simple mediation analysis with PTH as the independent variable, current impact of PTH as the mediating variable, and STS as the dependent variable. The mediation analysis was conducted with the PROCESS macro for SPSS. Hypotheses regarding possible mediators have traditionally been tested using the causal steps approach; however, the cross-product of the coefficients approach is now widely viewed as the best overall test of mediation. Using this method, PROCESS directly assesses the significance of the indirect, or mediating, effect.
Findings:
Meditation analyses in both samples reveal that the current impact of personal trauma history mediates the relationship between PTH and STS. In both cases, current impact fully mediates the impact of past trauma on STS. That is, PTH is—as expected—a significant predictor of current impact, and current impact is, in turn, a significant predictor of STS. Past history, however, does not predict STS. In other words, PTH has an indirect effect on STS via current impact, but does not have a direct effect.
Conclusions/Implications:
This research offers new information about the relationship between PTH and STS, which may explain desperate findings in the extant literature. The notion that PTH itself is not a predictor of STS unless by way of its current impact on the practitioner has implications for individual and organizational efforts to assess, prevent, and mitigate STS. With implications for practice and research, findings underscore the importance of measuring the current impact variable.