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!
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 [...]
Childhood trauma changes how the brain processes caregiver cues
Source: PsyPost For most young children, the sight and voice of a parent serve as a primary source of comfort and safety. A new study suggests that for children who have experienced interpersonal [...]
Child abuse and eating disorder symptoms: Shedding light on the contribution of identification with the aggressor
Source: ScienceDirect Childhood abuse has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for eating disorder symptoms. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that childhood abuse may lead to identification with the aggressor, an automatic [...]
Can the positive buffer the negative? Testing the impact of protective childhood experiences on adjustment in adults following trauma exposure
Source: National Library of Medicine It is unclear if protective childhood experiences (PCEs), like emotional support and economic stability, exert influence on adulthood adjustment. Prior research suggests PCEs can promote childhood resilience through [...]