The Effect of Psychological Resilience on Secondary Traumatic Stress in Social Workers

Abstract

In this study, it is aimed to determine whether secondary traumatic stress as a result of the interactions between social workers and clients is affected by psychological resilience. 191 social workers participated in the study. The data were obtained from the participants via e-mail and face-to-face interviews. Personal and professional information forms were filled out by the participants to determine their socio-demographic characteristics. The "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Scale-Self-Report Version" Form (PSS-SR) was used to measure secondary traumatic stress and "Psychological Resilience Scale for Adults" (PRSA) was used to measure psychological resilience. The SPSS package program was used to analyze the data. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the effect of psychological resilience on secondary traumatic stress. According to the findings obtained from the analyses, self-perception and social competence, which are among the sub-scales of psychological resilience, had an effect on total score of the PSS-SR and they were found to be significant negative predictors of arousal cluster. It was found that self-perception had a significant negative effect on re-experiencing and avoidance clusters. As a result of the study, it was found out that psychological resilience of social workers had an effect on secondary traumatic stress.