Secondary trauma self-efficacy: concept and its measurement

The Secondary Trauma Self-Efficacy (STSE) Scale was developed and psychometrically evaluated in 2 studies targeting populations indirectly exposed to traumatic events through work with traumatized clients. Study 1 enrolled behavioral health professionals (n = 247) providing trauma therapy for military clients in the United States. Study 2 investigated characteristics of the STSE Scale among health care and social workers (n(T1) = 306, nT2 = 193) providing services for trauma victims and survivors in Poland. Rooted in social cognitive theory, the 7-item STSE Scale is used to evaluate perceived ability to cope with the challenging demands resulting from work with traumatized clients and perceived ability to deal with the secondary traumatic stress symptoms. In both studies, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed unidimensionality of the scale. The results indicated good internal consistency of the STSE Scale and its stability over time. STSE correlated highly or moderately with secondary traumatic stress symptoms. Comparatively, associations between STSE and perceived social support, secondary traumatic growth, and negative beliefs about the world and self were either moderate or low. The STSE factor structure and pattern of correlations with the validity measures were invariant across the 2 studies, which indicated that the STSE Scale may be a culturally unbiased instrument.