Protective factors for secondary traumatic stress of school staff following student suicide or suicidal behaviour

Abstract

Many school staff respond to student suicide and suicidal behaviour (S/SB). Secondary traumatic stress (STS) refers to symptoms, such as intrusion, avoidance, arousal and emotional numbing following secondary exposure to a traumatic event. This study investigated whether school staff experienced STS following student S/SB. Aligning with the compassion fatigue resilience model, the relationships between protective factors of self-care, detachment, sense of satisfaction and social support and STS following student S/SB were investigated. Two STS measures were used, with a focus on self (Impact of Event Scale-Revised [IES-R]) and helping others (Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale [STSS]). Australian school staff (N = 134) with experience of student S/SB responded to an anonymous online survey. On average, participants reported STS levels of clinical concern on both measures following student S/SB, measured by previous research benchmarks. Hierarchical regression analyses found fatality and greater sense of satisfaction were significantly related to greater STS–self, and females reported significantly greater STS–helping others. Greater detachment and social support were significantly related to lower STS (self and helping others), supporting further research and interventions on these protective factors. School counsellors are encouraged to advocate for trauma-informed approaches in schools.