Organizational Impacts on the Secondary Traumatic Stress of Social Workers Assisting Family Violence or Sexual Assault Survivors

This research examines the influence of organizational characteristics on secondary traumatic stress of social workers who provide direct services to survivors of family violence or sexual assault. The sample (n = 154) was recruited through the National Association of Social Workers' member list. The study found that social workers who received more support from their coworkers, supervisors, and work teams demonstrated lower levels of secondary traumatic stress. Social workers who also had more access to their organizations' strategic information exhibited lower levels of secondary traumatic stress. Several implications for social work administrators are suggested based on the findings.