Faculty-Student Collaboration
1
Faculty Sponsor(s)
Stephanie E. Armes, Ph.D.
Presentation Type
Event
Project Type
Research in progress
Primary Department
Marriage and Family Therapy
Description
Secondary traumatic stress (STS) occurs when a helping professional hears about a client’s trauma and develops symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Bride et al., 2004). Previous research has shown that social support can decrease rates of STS in healthcare providers. This study includes data from a larger project of Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs; N= 200). We explored correlations between STS, burnout, and MFTs’ couple relationship factors. Findings indicated a negative correlation between couple relationship satisfaction and burnout (r = -.17; p < .05), as well as perceived support from partners and STS (r = -.19; p < .01). The findings suggest that MFTs’ positive couple relationships could be a protective factor in lowering levels of STS and burnout. We discuss implications for therapists in our poster.
Copyright Status
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Additional Rights Information
Copyright held by author(s).
Couple relationships, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout in a sample of marriage and family therapists
Secondary traumatic stress (STS) occurs when a helping professional hears about a client’s trauma and develops symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Bride et al., 2004). Previous research has shown that social support can decrease rates of STS in healthcare providers. This study includes data from a larger project of Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs; N= 200). We explored correlations between STS, burnout, and MFTs’ couple relationship factors. Findings indicated a negative correlation between couple relationship satisfaction and burnout (r = -.17; p < .05), as well as perceived support from partners and STS (r = -.19; p < .01). The findings suggest that MFTs’ positive couple relationships could be a protective factor in lowering levels of STS and burnout. We discuss implications for therapists in our poster.