Professionals engaged in social interventions are often exposed to environments characterized by chronic stress. The sustained empathic engagement with populations facing high levels of adversity increases professionals’ vulnerability to developing secondary traumatic stress (STS), which can negatively impact their performance and well‐being, particularly in the absence of effective coping strategies. This study aims to assess STS in a sample of social intervention professionals in Chile and to analyze the impact of workplace conditions on either increasing or mitigating that stress, as well as the coping strategies employed by the professionals. The Impact of Event Scale‐Revised (IES‐R) and the coping strategies inventory (CSI) were administered. Additionally, workplace contextual factors were assessed. Participants reported moderate to high levels of STS. Key work‐related factors contributing to the development of STS included the risk of suffering violence in the workplace, lack of perceived organizational support, lack of access to supervision, inadequate working conditions, hours of exposure to people in situations of violence, and on‐site work modality. At the individual level, dysfunctional coping strategies—such as self‐criticism, wishful thinking, and social withdrawal—were significant predictors of STS. In contrast, problem solving and problem avoidance emerged as coping strategies associated with a reduction in STS. Recognizing these dynamics is critical for addressing the broader social and psychological consequences of stressful work environments, ultimately contributing to enhanced well‐being and more effective support systems for professionals.
Yago-Alonso et al. (Thu,) studied this question.