archives@tulane.edu / Working with traumatized individuals can result in the development of secondary traumatic stress (STS) symptoms, which can lead to significant emotional and occupational impairment (e.g., Figley, 1995; Lee et al., 2015). Although STS has been investigated across many helping professions, few studies have considered its effects among educators. The primary goal of the current study was to determine whether teacher secondary traumatic stress (STS) influences student socio-emotional functioning through its effects on teacher-student relationships. A second goal was to examine predictors associated with the development of STS symptomology in teachers. This study was conducted with 150 educators and 610 students across six urban, public, charter schools in the Gulf South. Multi-level structural equation modeling (ML-SEM) was used to examine the impact of STS symptoms on two important dimensions of teacher-student relationships (sensitivity and quality) and the subsequent implications for student socio-emotional outcomes. The model also examined predictors of teacher STS symptom severity including teacher adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and use of cognitive reappraisal (CR) as an emotion regulation strategy. Findings indicated that STS was associated with increased student socio-emotional difficulties. Contrary to study hypotheses, teacher STS was not associated with teacher-reported relationship quality nor was it associated with observations of teacher sensitivity. When predictors of STS were examined, teachers’ use of cognitive reappraisal (CR) was negatively associated with STS and teacher ACEs were positively associated with STS. The current findings highlight the importance of continued efforts to identify the prevalence and impact of STS among teachers as well as the associated outcomes for students. Additionally, by helping to identify risk and protective factors associated with STS symptoms in teachers, the current findings can inform efforts to prepare, train, and support educators as they work to foster students’ socio-emotional development in concert with academics. / 1 / Kathryn Simon
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_93496 |
| Date | 2019 May 1900 |
| Contributors | Simon, Kathryn (author), Overstreet, Stacy (Thesis advisor), School of Science & Engineering Psychology (Degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | electronic, pages: 121 |
| Rights | No embargo, Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law. |
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