Assessing Secondary Traumatic Stress in Burn Care Clinicians: Feasibility, Prevalence, and Related Factors

There is growing awareness of the indirect trauma exposure experienced by healthcare providers and the resulting development of secondary traumatic stress (STS). However, STS in burn care clinicians has not been examined thoroughly. The current study aimed to examine feasibility of study procedures in this population, estimate the prevalence of STS, and examine the relationship between STS and additional factors.

Cross-sectional data were collected from 103 burn clinicians from 15 different occupations working in a large civilian burn center in the United States. Participants completed measures of STS, burnout, demographics, and occupation-related information.

Study procedures were feasible. Over 40% (42.16%) of participants met criteria for moderate to severe STS. Secondary traumatic stress was significantly correlated with younger age and burnout subscales. Binomial logistic regression analyses showed that the overall model containing burnout subscales was statistically significant and able to distinguish between respondents who endorsed symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder due to STS and those that did not endorse them. Results regarding STS and time spent with patients with burn injuries varied. Nonsignificant results were found regarding STS and the remaining demographic and occupational variables.

Results support the feasibility of studying STS in this population, and the prevalence of STS among burn care clinicians warrants attention. Important information was added to the extant literature on related risk and protective factors. Increased knowledge about STS in this population will help to inform prevention efforts and interventions at both the individual and organizational level to prioritize staff well-being and improve patient care.