By Heather C. Forkey, MD, Elaine Schulte, MD, MPH, and Luanne Thorndyke, MD
Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is the emotional duress caused by indirect exposure to distressing events experienced by others. Health care providers and caregivers are particularly susceptible to secondary stress due to regular exposure to difficult and painful clinical situations that evoke intrinsic empathy necessary to provide effective care. Understanding STS as a normal stress response not only helps to make sense of the symptoms but also suggests a way forward. Opportunities for those in health care to address STS can be found among our colleagues and in our own settings and may provide a meaningful source of support if accessed effectively.
Share This Post!
We’re therapists. Here’s why it’s too soon for kids to return to Camp Mystic.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News Source: Houston Chronicle Less than a year after the deadly July 4 flood, Camp Mystic plans to reopen its Cypress Lake location, not far from the still-closed Guadalupe River [...]
Women who experience trauma are twice as likely as men to develop PTSD. Here’s why
Source: American Psychological Association More than half of all women will be exposed to at least one traumatic event in their lifetime, according to the National Center for PTSDopens in new window. Those [...]
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children
Source: CDC All children may experience very stressful events that affect how they think and feel. Most of the time, children recover quickly and well. However, sometimes children who experience severe [...]
From Survival to Advocacy: How Chester Street Foundation is Healing Texas
Written by: Shawn Alex Nemeth In 2009, Shawn Alex Nemeth was hospitalized and diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It was the culmination of a lifetime of trauma, encoded into his [...]
How Trauma Affects Kids in School
Source: Child Mind Institute For many kids who suffer from trauma, it’s not one event. Often, it’s ongoing abuse or neglect. This could be violence at home or in their neighborhood. [...]
Associations between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Measures of Poor Sleep Health in Adulthood
Source: ResearchGate Background: Sleep health is a multidimensional concept that plays a critical role in both physical and mental well-being. While there is evidence to suggest that sleep health may be linked [...]