Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit social workers are a particularly vulnerable group of professionals due to their chronic exposure to trauma. Current research has overlooked how social workers specifically can adopt certain strategies and coping mechanisms to prevent the symptoms associated with primary trauma, secondary trauma stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Thus, the study that follows was designed to explore the strategies and coping mechanisms utilized by NICU and PICU social workers. Data for this project was collected through the use of open-ended questions in an electronic survey format and analyzed through a conventional content analysis approach. Seven participants fully completed the survey and thus only their responses were considered in the analysis. Results of this study indicate the need for NICU and PICU social workers to gain additional education and training on primary trauma, secondary trauma stress, compassion fatigue and burnout so that they can actively participate in prevention. NICU and PICU social workers reported a range of strategies and coping mechanisms including the awareness of personal and professional barriers, consultation, exercise, among others. This study provides crucial information to an understudied area of research, provides a foundation for future research, and promotes the use of positive strategies and coping mechanisms by NICU and PICU social workers so that they can continue to provide the best services possible for the patients they serve.

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Briana S. Goff / Events of war have long been considered traumatic and research has found that those exposed to war may develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or psychological difficulties. Although research has indicated the instance of increased PTSD and other symptoms in returning Operation Iraqi Freedom/ Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) soldiers, it has yet to explore the trauma experiences of their female partners. The current study sought to address this limitation by exploring the ways in which partners’/wives’ primary trauma influenced the marriage relationship. Given the tendency for trauma to negatively influence relationship satisfaction, it was expected that the primary trauma experiences of the female partners of OIF/OEF soldiers would likewise negatively impact relationship satisfaction for both themselves and the soldiers. Results from this study indicated that female primary trauma, particularly trauma related to PTSD symptoms, has an influence on levels of relationship satisfaction, both for female partners and soldiers. Specifically, female partner re-experiencing symptoms were found to most significantly predict their own relationship satisfaction, while female partner arousal symptoms most significantly predicted soldier relationship satisfaction. Understanding female primary trauma may be important given the seeming sensitivity females have for developing PTSD and for experiencing symptoms that are chronic in nature. In addition, female civilian partners may play a key role in helping military families to function well throughout the deployment process given their assumption of major family responsibilities. Further, their emotional wellbeing may be considered a “family affair” due to the role that family relationships may serve in helping individuals cope with trauma, including returning soldiers. Indeed, civilian female partners appear to play a major role in helping military families cope with stresses associated with war and the deployment process. As such, the emotional condition of military families can no longer be considered solely within the realm of soldier trauma or secondary traumatization, but instead include consideration of the influence of female primary traumatic experiences.