Sisman Ezgi, Cerit Cem, Polat Aslıhan
Department of Psychiatry, Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine, Kocaeli, Türkiye.
Traumatic Stress Studies Centre, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Türkiye.
Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2025 Dec;16(1):2510155. doi: 10.1080/20008066.2025.2510155. Epub 2025 Jun 17.
Secondary traumatic stress (STS) refers to the PTSD-like symptoms observed among professionals working with traumatized clients. This study investigates the predictors of secondary traumatic stress (STS) among psychosocial support workers who provided mental health services in the aftermath of the February 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye. Data from 117 professionals (76.9% female, median age 27) were analysed using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5; mean score = 27.73 ± 15.26), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC; mean score = 63.24 ± 12.53), and a structured sociodemographic form on disaster-related experiences. Key predictors of elevated PCL-5 scores included younger age ( = -0.671, = .037), higher exposure to trauma survivors ( = 0.016, < .001), and lower psychological resilience ( = -0.219, = .027). Additionally, both awareness of a need for psychosocial support ( = 6.849, = .009) and attending funerals ( = 7.733, = .029) were identified as predictors of STS symptoms. These findings underscore the individual and professional characteristics that increased STS risk among mental health workers, providing crucial insights for targeted prevention strategies aimed at mitigating STS in this specialized field.
继发性创伤应激（STS）是指在与受创伤客户打交道的专业人员中观察到的类似创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的症状。本研究调查了在2023年2月土耳其地震后提供心理健康服务的心理社会支持工作者中继发性创伤应激（STS）的预测因素。使用创伤后应激障碍检查表（PCL - 5；平均得分 = 27.73 ± 15.26）、康纳 - 戴维森复原力量表（CD - RISC；平均得分 = 63.24 ± 12.53）以及一份关于灾害相关经历的结构化社会人口学表格，对117名专业人员（76.9%为女性，中位年龄27岁）的数据进行了分析。PCL - 5得分升高的关键预测因素包括年龄较小（β = -0.671，p = .037）、更多接触创伤幸存者（β = 0.016，p < .001）以及心理复原力较低（β = -0.219，p = .027）。此外，对心理社会支持需求的认知（β = 6.849，p = .009）和参加葬礼（β = 7.733，p = .029）均被确定为STS症状的预测因素。这些发现强调了心理健康工作者中增加STS风险的个人和专业特征，为旨在减轻这一专业领域中STS的针对性预防策略提供了关键见解。
