Ginny Sprang
Biographic Data
| ID | 181240 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ginny Sprang |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ginny |
| FAMILY NAME | Sprang |
| SIGNATURE | SPRANG G |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Kentucky |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0828-1105 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 51 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 55 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 51 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Randomized Control Trial Protocol to Evaluate an Engaged-Bystander Approach to Prevent Child Sex Trafficking
Risk factors for child sex trafficking (CST) include substance use among familial traffickers, family violence, and poverty. Our research team will develop a novel intervention and prevention program based on these risk factors to reduce CST. We describe the design and methods we will use to evaluate our county-level cluster randomized control trial (cRCT) conducted in middle schools. Research aims include testing the combined effectiveness of 1)…
The See It to Stop It Indicator Tool to Identify Child Sex Trafficking: Acceptability, Feasibility, Utility, and Outcomes
Adolescents involved in sex trafficking may not engage in help-seeking behavior due to fear, stigma, and lack of awareness about available resources. Likewise, professionals interacting with these youth may have little guidance on how to identify risk or respond when trafficking concerns are detected. This study describes the development, feasibility, acceptability, utility, and outcomes of the See It to Stop It Indicator (SITSII) tool for middle…
Training Initiation and Completion in a Cluster Randomized Control Trial to Reduce Child Sex Trafficking in Middle Schools
Child sex trafficking (CST) has significant consequences for youth, families, and communities. Developing effective strategies to engage educational staff in reducing CST is essential given the time staff spend with students. This paper identifies predictors of training initiation and completion among middle school staff (MSS) engaged in a cluster randomized control trial (cRCT) to reduce CST. Methods: Staff were invited to complete a pre-interve…
Trauma-Informed Parenting Skills for Resource Parents: A Pilot Study of Acceptability, Feasibility, and Effectiveness
A Multi-Site Consortium on Familial Sex Trafficking Prevention: A Brief Report on Lessons Learned and Future Directions
Child and adolescent strengths through the course of trauma-focused treatment: Differences based on symptom severity
CSTOP Now: Psychometric Evaluation of Child Sex Trafficking Prevention Measures for Use with Educators
Child sex trafficking (CST) is a worldwide public health and social justice issue. Evaluations of prevention program effectiveness have been limited by the lack of validated measures to assess CST-related constructs. We drew from theory to adapt measures of adult sex trafficking and intimate partner violence precursors or risk factors to develop measures assessing CST constructs including CST myths, self-confidence to address CST, and comfort in …
The Impact of an Online Training Curriculum on Trauma‐Informed Knowledge and Attitudes Among School Personnel
Acknowledging the pervasiveness of trauma exposure among school‐aged youth, efforts have been devoted to increasing knowledge and awareness of trauma symptoms among school personnel. However, there is a need for a more thorough evaluation of their effectiveness in training education personnel and improving student outcomes. The current study describes the development and evaluation of a virtual training program designed to increase knowledge and …
Providers’ Perceptions of Trauma-Focused EBT/EBP Implementation Fidelity: Implementation Process and Individual Influences
The Relationship Between Secondary Traumatic Stress and Compassion Satisfaction: A Systematic Literature Review
This systematic literature review examines the relationship between secondary traumatic stress (STS) and compassion satisfaction (CS) to identify the state of the science and directions for future research. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis framework was used to guide the identification and evaluation of studies. Eight academic databases were systematically searched between July and December of 2022 to identif…
The utility of trauma evaluations in judicial decision‐making in child sex trafficking cases: A qualitative analysis
Youth coerced into trafficking experience multiple forms of abuse, and are deprived of basic human rights associated with liberty and self‐determination, all of which can adversely affect mental and psychological well‐being (Ottisova et al., Behavioral Medicine , 44(3), 234‐241.). This study uses a qualitative approach to exploring how judges use trauma‐related information to make decisions about how to adjudicate cases involving minors who have …
Principles for secondary traumatic stress-responsive practice: An expert consensus approach
This is the first effort to delineate principles for practice intended to reduce the occurrence and impact of STS in individual and organizational practice in behavioral health services. The principles are intended to inform best practices for individuals and organizations providing services to persons and communities who have experienced trauma and thereby improve the quality and effectiveness of services to traumatized populations. (PsycInfo Da…
Untangling secondary traumatic stress and vicarious traumatization: One construct or two
Although the negative mood/cognition addition to STS may not fully capture or replace the phenomenon of VT, these additional STS symptoms may further connect the two constructs. This indicates that current measures of STS may capture some but not all of the cognitive impacts of indirect trauma exposure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Child Traumatic Stress and Covid-19: The Impact of the Pandemic on a Clinical Sample of Children in Trauma Treatment
The role of school leaders in cultivating a trauma-informed school climate
The impact of Covid-19 and experiences of secondary traumatic stress and burnout
These findings and associated implications are discussed for groups of caregivers and helping professionals with preexisting high levels of indirect trauma exposure in a pandemic context. This study provides some guidance on how to identify those at risk for increased distress in their helping roles and considerations for implementing support strategies during a pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
An Investigation of Secondary Traumatic Stress and Trauma-informed Care Utilization in School Personnel
My Bad Experiences Are Not the Only Things Shaping Me Anymore”: Thematic Analysis of Youth Trauma Narratives
Can organizational efforts lead to less secondary traumatic stress? A longitudinal investigation of change
These results support the hypothesis that organizational efforts can improve an individual's perceived level of distress, and that focused attention to the issue of secondary trauma in an organization can improve organizational and individual outcomes using a data-driven change approach. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Fidelity and sustainability in evidence-based treatments for children: An investigation of implementation determinants
In order to improve access to and utilization of high-quality children’s mental health services, there have been considerable efforts to disseminate evidence-based treatments (EBTs) into community-based settings. However, these efforts have not always led to successful use of interventions overtime, and further understanding of how organizational and individual factors may serve as barriers to the implementation process is needed. To help measure…
Innovations in Interpersonal Violence Prevention: Research, Collaboration and Opportunities
Exploration of factors associated with secondary traumatic stress in foster parents
Interpersonal Trauma Exposure, Trauma Symptoms, and Severity of Substance Use Disorder among Youth Entering Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment
Familial Sex Trafficking of Minors: Trafficking Conditions, Clinical Presentation, and System Involvement
The Trauma of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Youth: A Comparison of CSE Victims to Sexual Abuse Victims in a Clinical Sample
This study examined the demographic features, trauma profiles, clinical severity indicators, problem behaviors, and service utilization characteristics of youth victims of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) compared with a matched sample of sexually abused/assaulted youth who were not exploited in commercial sex. Secondary data analysis and propensity score matching were used to select a sample of 215 help-seeking youth who were exploited in pr…
Familial Sex Trafficking of Minors: Trafficking Conditions, Clinical Presentation, and System Involvement
Long-term effects of Hurricane Katrina on the psychological well-being of evacuees
Hurricane Katrina of August 2005 forced more than one million people to evacuate the Gulf Coast of the United States. This study examines the psychological health and well-being of a subset of evacuees to determine the prevalence of ongoing mental health problems. Interviews were conducted with 101 adults who evacuated to Louisville, Kentucky, and were living in the state at the one-year anniversary of the event or had recently returned to the Gu…
Exploration of factors associated with secondary traumatic stress in foster parents
Innovations in Interpersonal Violence Prevention: Research, Collaboration and Opportunities
Lives at risk: Uncovering factors associated with fatal child maltreatment
Allostatic Load: Considering the Burden of Cumulative Trauma on Children in Foster Care
The Effects of Family-Friendly Workplace Environments on Work-Family Stress of Employed Parents
This study utilized the spillover conceptual framework to examine the effects of structural (formal policies) and dynamic (informal supervisory support) aspects of the workplace on the financial stress, time-based problems, and role-strain of employed parents. Data was obtained by telephone interview from an availability sample of 374 employed parents in several different workplaces. Logistic regression analyses provided partial support for the h…
The Impact of Child Abuse Potential on Adaptive Functioning: Early Identification of Risk
The Use of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in the Treatment of Traumatic Stress and Complicated Mourning: Psychological and Behavioral Outcomes
Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the differential effects of treatment on a complex of symptomatology that includes grief, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and self-esteem by comparing eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and guided mourning (GM) treatments. Method: Twenty-three EMDR clients and 27 GM clients completed measures designed to assess psychosocial and behavioral symptoms of loss befo…
A Community-Based Study of Family-Friendly Workplaces
This applied research study is part of a collaborative effort by local government representatives, business leaders, and social work researchers to investigate workplace support for family needs. It is one of the first to report findings about family-friendly workplace policies and practices across different size and sector work organizations in one community. The prevalence and distribution of these policies and practices are investigated becaus…
Caregiver Drug Use and Arrest as Correlates of Child Trauma Exposure
This study proposed to determine the prevalence of substance use and drug-related arrests among caregivers of children referred to Child Protective Services (CPS), examine the relationship between substance use and arrests among caregivers, and examine the main effects and interaction of substance use and arrests in predicting child trauma exposure. Secondary data was collected from CPS files for a randomly selected group of 1127 children. Findin…
Factors Associated with the Use of Evidence-Based Practices to Treat Psychological Trauma by Psychotherapists with Trauma Treatment Expertise
This paper investigates 10 socio-demographic and case characteristic variables as predictors of use of evidence-based practice and non-evidence-based practice in the treatment of psychological trauma. A national random sample of 2,400 trauma treatment specialists in all 50 states and the District of Columbia were sent surveys with a response rate of 29.6% (N = 711) usable surveys returned. Stepwise regressions conducted on evidence-based practice…
Exploratory and Confirmatory Analysis of the Trauma Practices Questionnaire
Objective: The present study provides psychometric data for the Trauma Practices Questionnaire (TPQ). Method: A nationally randomized sample of 2,400 surveys was sent to self-identified trauma treatment specialists, and 711 (29.6%) were returned. Results: An exploratory factor analysis (N = 319) conducted on a randomly split sample (RSS) revealed a 19-item, six-factor structure. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted for the six-factor mode…
Blending Work and Family: A Case Study
This article describes an employer-based infant-care program that is a unique response to the needs of working parents. This parentingatwork option allows mothers to blend the often-competing demands of work and family and provides high-quality child care to their infants in the workplace. The article also examines the impact of this program on the mothers, the infants, and the workplace
Parenting in the Workplace: Examining a Unique Infant Care Option
This article describes a unique, employer-based infant care program that allows parents to care for their babies in the workplace and reports on the response of the coworker employees to this arrangement. Of 35 permanent employees in a university-based research organization, 86% completed a self-report questionnaire. Results indicated that parenting babies in the workplace, in this setting, has little, if any, perceived negative effect on the wor…
Victim Impact Panels: An Examination of the Effectiveness of This Program on Lowering Recidivism and Changing Offenders' Attitudes About Drinking and Driving
This study examines 103 Victim Impact Panel attendees and 75 comparison group respondents who had been convicted of drunk driving offenses. A pre- and post-test measure developed by the author was administered to both groups to determine offender attitudes about drinking and driving. Results indicate a lower recidivism rate in VIP participants as opposed to comparison group subjects and those receiving other sanctions as cited in the literature. …
Victim Impact Panels: An Examination of the Effectiveness of This Program on Lowering Recidivism and Changing Offenders' Attitudes About Drinking and Driving
This study examines 103 Victim Impact Panel attendees and 75 comparison group respondents who had been convicted of drunk driving offenses. A pre- and post-test measure developed by the author was administered to both groups to determine offender attitudes about drinking and driving. Results indicate a lower recidivism rate in VIP participants as opposed to comparison group subjects and those receiving other sanctions as cited in the literature. …
Post-Homicide Reactions: Grief, Mourning and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder following a Drunk Driving Fatality
This article examines the impact of gender, religious beliefs, subjective health status, individuals' past experience with death, social support, and time since the death on the extent of mourning, the extent of grieving, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology. It is proposed that the mode of death complicates the nature and course of bereavement after the death of a primary family member in a drunk driving collision. The unnece…
Parenting in the Workplace: Examining a Unique Infant Care Option
This article describes a unique, employer-based infant care program that allows parents to care for their babies in the workplace and reports on the response of the coworker employees to this arrangement. Of 35 permanent employees in a university-based research organization, 86% completed a self-report questionnaire. Results indicated that parenting babies in the workplace, in this setting, has little, if any, perceived negative effect on the wor…
Blending Work and Family: A Case Study
This article describes an employer-based infant-care program that is a unique response to the needs of working parents. This parentingatwork option allows mothers to blend the often-competing demands of work and family and provides high-quality child care to their infants in the workplace. The article also examines the impact of this program on the mothers, the infants, and the workplace
A Community-Based Study of Family-Friendly Workplaces
This applied research study is part of a collaborative effort by local government representatives, business leaders, and social work researchers to investigate workplace support for family needs. It is one of the first to report findings about family-friendly workplace policies and practices across different size and sector work organizations in one community. The prevalence and distribution of these policies and practices are investigated becaus…
Vicarious Stress: Patterns of Disturbance and Use of Mental Health Services by Those Indirectly Affected by the Oklahoma City Bombing
This study explored the intermediate psychological effects of terrorism on adults not directly affected by the Oklahoma City bombing by examining the course of PTSD and subthreshold PTSD symptoms over time and whether treatment affected this course. The respondents were interviewed at 3-mo. intervals for 18 mo. following an initial 6-mo. survey. Analysis suggested avoidance, re-experiencing, and increased arousal symptoms in this population were …
Vicarious Stress: Patterns of Disturbance and Use of Mental Health Services by Those Indirectly Affected by the Oklahoma City Bombing
The Use of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in the Treatment of Traumatic Stress and Complicated Mourning: Psychological and Behavioral Outcomes
Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the differential effects of treatment on a complex of symptomatology that includes grief, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and self-esteem by comparing eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and guided mourning (GM) treatments. Method: Twenty-three EMDR clients and 27 GM clients completed measures designed to assess psychosocial and behavioral symptoms of loss befo…
The Effects of Family-Friendly Workplace Environments on Work-Family Stress of Employed Parents
This study utilized the spillover conceptual framework to examine the effects of structural (formal policies) and dynamic (informal supervisory support) aspects of the workplace on the financial stress, time-based problems, and role-strain of employed parents. Data was obtained by telephone interview from an availability sample of 374 employed parents in several different workplaces. Logistic regression analyses provided partial support for the h…
Developing and Tailoring Mental Health Technologies for Child Welfare: The Comprehensive Assessment and Training Services (Cats) Project
This article describes the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Assessment and Training Services Project, a multidisciplinary center designed to prevent children from lingering in the foster care system and to provide early interventions to prevent lifelong problems. This article outlines the conditions that led to the identified need for such a program; the conceptual model used to guide protocol development and refinement: the me…
Compassion Fatigue, Compassion Satisfaction, and Burnout: Factors Impacting a Professional's Quality of Life
This study examined the relationship between three variables, compassion fatigue (CF), compassion satisfaction (CS), and burnout, and provider and setting characteristics in a sample of 1,121 mental health providers in a rural southern state. Respondents completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale as part of a larger survey of provider practice patterns. Female gender was associated with higher levels of CF, and therapists with specialized t…
Trauma exposure and child abuse potential: Investigating the cycle of violence
This study was designed to ascertain the relationship between trauma exposure and child abuse potential, considering a number of demographic and trauma-specific factors. The sample consisted of 1,680 caregivers with open, substantiated cases of abuse or neglect who were evaluated at a university-based outpatient assessment and treatment center. As part of a larger battery of instruments, the participants completed the Child Abuse Potential Invent…
Exploratory and Confirmatory Analysis of the Trauma Practices Questionnaire
Objective: The present study provides psychometric data for the Trauma Practices Questionnaire (TPQ). Method: A nationally randomized sample of 2,400 surveys was sent to self-identified trauma treatment specialists, and 711 (29.6%) were returned. Results: An exploratory factor analysis (N = 319) conducted on a randomly split sample (RSS) revealed a 19-item, six-factor structure. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted for the six-factor mode…
Infant mental health, child maltreatment, and the law: A jurisprudent therapy analysis
Scholarly and clinical discussions of the legal issues facing infant mental health professionals typically focus on the seemingly intractable differences in philosophies, goals, and approaches inherent in the law and the mental health professions. We argue that forensically informed approaches to practice with very young children can potentially enhance many mental health and child welfare outcomes. This article describes the relatively new conce…
Allostatic Load: Considering the Burden of Cumulative Trauma on Children in Foster Care
Compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout in a national sample of trauma treatment therapists
For behavioral health professionals working with traumatized clients, continuous and prolonged exposure to the stress of working with the myriad of trauma-related stressors experienced by their clients can lead to various responses including burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction. The present study investigates the impact of using evidence-based practices on compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction in a random, n…
Factors Associated with the Use of Evidence-Based Practices to Treat Psychological Trauma by Psychotherapists with Trauma Treatment Expertise
This paper investigates 10 socio-demographic and case characteristic variables as predictors of use of evidence-based practice and non-evidence-based practice in the treatment of psychological trauma. A national random sample of 2,400 trauma treatment specialists in all 50 states and the District of Columbia were sent surveys with a response rate of 29.6% (N = 711) usable surveys returned. Stepwise regressions conducted on evidence-based practice…
Long-term effects of Hurricane Katrina on the psychological well-being of evacuees
Hurricane Katrina of August 2005 forced more than one million people to evacuate the Gulf Coast of the United States. This study examines the psychological health and well-being of a subset of evacuees to determine the prevalence of ongoing mental health problems. Interviews were conducted with 101 adults who evacuated to Louisville, Kentucky, and were living in the state at the one-year anniversary of the event or had recently returned to the Gu…
Results from the Pro-QOL-IV for Substance Abuse Counselors Working with Offenders
Caregiver Drug Use and Arrest as Correlates of Child Trauma Exposure
This study proposed to determine the prevalence of substance use and drug-related arrests among caregivers of children referred to Child Protective Services (CPS), examine the relationship between substance use and arrests among caregivers, and examine the main effects and interaction of substance use and arrests in predicting child trauma exposure. Secondary data was collected from CPS files for a randomly selected group of 1127 children. Findin…
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Parents and Youth After Health-Related Disasters
Objectives This study investigated the psychosocial responses of children and their parents to pandemic disasters, specifically measuring traumatic stress responses in children and parents with varying disease-containment experiences. Methods A mixed-method approach using survey, focus groups, and interviews produced data from 398 parents. Adult respondents completed the University of California at Los Angeles Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reacti…
The Impact of Trauma Exposure on Parenting Stress in Rural America
Introduction to the Special Issue
Lives at risk: Uncovering factors associated with fatal child maltreatment
The Trauma of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Youth: A Comparison of CSE Victims to Sexual Abuse Victims in a Clinical Sample
This study examined the demographic features, trauma profiles, clinical severity indicators, problem behaviors, and service utilization characteristics of youth victims of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) compared with a matched sample of sexually abused/assaulted youth who were not exploited in commercial sex. Secondary data analysis and propensity score matching were used to select a sample of 215 help-seeking youth who were exploited in pr…
Psychology (39 works) · Medicine (33 works) · Clinical Psychology (25 works) · Child Abuse and Trauma (21 works) · Clinical Psychology (19 works) · Psychiatry (19 works) · Poison control (17 works) · Suicide prevention (15 works) · Nursing (14 works) · Injury prevention (13 works)