title: An assessment of secondary traumatic stress in juvenile justice education workers.
abstract: Given the frequency and violent character of the traumas encountered by juvenile offenders, staff members who regularly interact with juveniles in custody are at risk of developing secondary traumatic stress. Juvenile justice teachers and staff (N = 118) were administered a cross-sectional survey, including the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale. Respondents said the students were moderately traumatized (47%), severely traumatized (27%), and very severely traumatized (7%). Regarding STS, the most frequently reported symptom was intrusive thoughts related to work with the students, mentioned by 61% of respondents. Additionally, 81% met at least one, 55% met two, and 39% met all three core diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. Recommendations for juvenile justice staff members and for the organization are provided to address practice and policy implications.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA. shatcher@uga.edu
authors.forename: Schnavia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Smith Hatcher
authors.forename: Brian E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Bride
authors.forename: Hyejung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Dione
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moultrie King
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Franklin Catrett
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency; D008297:Male; D016272:Occupational Health; D011330:Prisons; D012947:Social Work; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D013997:Time Factors