Association Between Coping Strategies and Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Forensic Social Workers in South Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22097688 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Baatseba Babra Mashego (0000-0002-7368-4592, North-West University), Pieter John Boshoff, Pieter Boshoff (0000-0003-4560-4337, North-West University), Erika Fourie (0000-0003-3321-0576, North-West University) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication date | 2023-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2312-7198 • E-ISSN: 0037-8054 |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch University (PUBLISHER • ZA) |
| DOI | 10.15270/59-4-1175 |
| OpenAlex | W4389294571 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 20 |
Forensic social work in South Africa is challenging, increasing the likelihood of secondary traumatic stress among its practitioners. Proactive coping strategies are necessary to reduce the impact of secondary traumatic stress on forensic social workers. The aim of this study was to describe the association between the frequency of different coping strategies and the frequency of secondary traumatic stress symptoms in forensic social workers. The study applied a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional descriptive design. An all-inclusive willing participation sampling method was used, focusing on all qualified forensic social workers who graduated from a South African university. The study found that avoidant and emotion-focused coping strategies were linked to an increase in secondary traumatic stress symptoms. Employers and therapists can support forensic social workers by offering techniques that encourage the use of problem-focused coping strategies, aiming to alleviate symptoms of perceived secondary traumatic stress. Keywords: coping, forensic social work, secondary traumatic stress, trauma symptoms, symptoms
Burnout · Compassion fatigue · Forensic science · Traumatic stress · Child Abuse and Trauma · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health · Social Work Education and Practice · Social Work
Personality and Coping
Stress, appraisal, and coping
Comparison of Convenience Sampling and Purposive Sampling
Psychological distress among social workers
Secondary Traumatic Stress, Mental State, and Work Ability in Nurses—Results of a Psychological Risk Assessment at a University Hospital
The Impact of Different Coping Styles on Psychological Distress during the Covid-19
Post-Traumatic Stress and Coping Strategies of South African Nurses during the Second Wave of the Covid-19 Pandemic
Secondary Traumatization, Psychological Stress, and Resilience in Psychosocial Emergency Care Personnel
Secondary Traumatic Stress
Secondary Trauma
Different uses of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory in public mental health research
Coping with stressful situations in social work before and after reduced working hours, a mixed-methods study
Burnout and secondary trauma among forensic interviewers
Development and Validation of the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale
Social Workers during Covid-19
Shared Traumatic Stress among Social Workers in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Recovering Emotion from Emotion Management
Burnout, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Social Support
Multidimensional assessment of coping
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |