TY - JOUR
T1 - A Socioecological Approach to Understanding Secondary Trauma in Professionals Working with Survivors of Sex Trafficking
T2 - A Hierarchical Regression Analysis
AU - Sprang, Ginny
AU - Whitt-Woosley, Adrienne
AU - Wozniak, Jessica
AU - Gusler, Stephanie
AU - Hood, Caitlyn
AU - Kinnish, Kelly
AU - Stroup, Hannah
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Individuals who are trafficked for sex have high rates of trauma exposure prior to and while being trafficked; therefore, professionals who work with this population are potentially exposed to high levels of trauma details increasing their risk of developing secondary traumatic stress (STS). This study investigated the STS symptoms of professionals working with survivors of sex trafficking utilizing a socioecological framework to guide the design and analysis. An online survey was completed by 583 respondents from a broad range of organizational settings who completed measures tapping into STS symptoms, lifetime trauma exposures, history of being sex-trafficked, dose of direct and indirect trauma exposure at work, use of emotional and instrumental support to cope, state report cards on sex trafficking policies, and organizational-level practices toward being STS informed. STS scores among professionals working with survivors of sex trafficking were high, with those in child welfare settings reporting the highest levels of STS. Hierarchical regression analysis indicates higher STS was associated with variables at all levels of the socioecological model except the macrosystem, with fewer years of experience, a history of being sex trafficked, higher dose of indirect exposure, less use of emotional support, and lower organizational STS scores predictive of higher distress. Together, study findings indicate that STS is a significant concern in the anti-trafficking workforce and that a socioecological framework is useful for understanding STS impacts, highlighting the value of multiple response strategies across levels. This analysis suggests that organizational-level strategies to ameliorate/buffer impacts of occupation-related trauma exposure among these professionals can be especially impactful.
AB - Individuals who are trafficked for sex have high rates of trauma exposure prior to and while being trafficked; therefore, professionals who work with this population are potentially exposed to high levels of trauma details increasing their risk of developing secondary traumatic stress (STS). This study investigated the STS symptoms of professionals working with survivors of sex trafficking utilizing a socioecological framework to guide the design and analysis. An online survey was completed by 583 respondents from a broad range of organizational settings who completed measures tapping into STS symptoms, lifetime trauma exposures, history of being sex-trafficked, dose of direct and indirect trauma exposure at work, use of emotional and instrumental support to cope, state report cards on sex trafficking policies, and organizational-level practices toward being STS informed. STS scores among professionals working with survivors of sex trafficking were high, with those in child welfare settings reporting the highest levels of STS. Hierarchical regression analysis indicates higher STS was associated with variables at all levels of the socioecological model except the macrosystem, with fewer years of experience, a history of being sex trafficked, higher dose of indirect exposure, less use of emotional support, and lower organizational STS scores predictive of higher distress. Together, study findings indicate that STS is a significant concern in the anti-trafficking workforce and that a socioecological framework is useful for understanding STS impacts, highlighting the value of multiple response strategies across levels. This analysis suggests that organizational-level strategies to ameliorate/buffer impacts of occupation-related trauma exposure among these professionals can be especially impactful.
KW - PTSD
KW - mental health and violence
KW - sexual abuse < child abuse
KW - vicarious trauma
KW - violence exposure
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85165574049&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85165574049&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/08862605231188047
DO - 10.1177/08862605231188047
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85165574049
SN - 0886-2605
VL - 38
SP - 11745
EP - 11767
JO - Journal of Interpersonal Violence
JF - Journal of Interpersonal Violence
IS - 21-22
ER -