Title
Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress among Child Welfare Workers who Experience a Maltreatment Fatality on their Caseload
Publication Date
2013
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Annually, 1,000-2,000 child welfare workers experience the death of a child client. The child welfare field has paid increasing attention to the impact of workplace trauma events on the psychological distress of child welfare workers. In this article the author assesses the relationship between experiencing a maltreatment fatality and workers' posttraumatic stress among a multi-state sample of 385 child welfare workers. Results indicate that a maltreatment fatality is not associated with higher rates of posttraumatic stress. Among child welfare workers who experienced a fatality, those who feel greater culpability for the death report higher levels of posttraumatic stress. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Original Citation
Douglas, E. M. (2013). Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress among Child Welfare Workers who Experience a Maltreatment Fatality on their Caseload. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 10(4), 373-387. https://doi.org/10.1080/15433714.2012.664058
Identifier
Virtual Commons Citation
Douglas, Emily (2013). Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress among Child Welfare Workers who Experience a Maltreatment Fatality on their Caseload. In Social Work Faculty Publications. Paper 27.
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/socialwork_fac/27