ERIC Number: ED634619
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 134
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3795-3191-1
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Secondary Traumatic Stress: Coping Strategies of Campus Leaders in K12 Public Schools
Neighbors, Matthew
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Lamar University - Beaumont
Secondary traumatic stress (STS) impacts professionals who assist others experiencing trauma. Assistant principals and principals help both students and staff members suffering crises yet remain an understudied population in relation to STS. This study sought to answer: what is the prevalence of STS in secondary campus administrators, and does the prevalence vary across the demographic factors of gender, years' experience, and campus location? This research also examined what coping mechanisms campus administrators most often employ to address work-related stress and whether those coping mechanisms related to prevalence of STS. Ninety-four active secondary campus leaders, including 45 principals and 43 assistant principals with an average 8.5 years in administration, completed both the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale and Brief-COPE. Mean STS for this sample was high (40.2), and 53% of respondents screened positive for moderate or higher STS. No significant correlations between demographic factors and STS suggest neither gender, years' experience, administrator role, nor location of campus strongly aligned with STS. The most common coping mechanisms were problem-focused strategies, followed by emotion-focused strategies and avoidance strategies. Use of avoidance strategies correlated with more severe manifestations of STS. Destigmatizing access to assistance and promoting problem-focused coping strategies must be priorities when addressing campus leaders' mental health. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Trauma, Stress Variables, Secondary Schools, Principals, Work Environment, Coping, Administrator Characteristics, Mental Health
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A