Burnout and secondary traumatic stress in staff working with people with intellectual disabilities: The role of adverse childhood experiences, resilience and trauma‐informed organisational climate

• Published in: Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities Vol. 36; no. 6; pp. 1297 - 1307
• Main Authors: Mercer, Louise, Cookson, Alex, Müller‐Myhsok, Bertram, Vuuren, Julie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2023; Wiley; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adverse childhood experiences; Burnout; Caregivers; Childhood; Coping; Intellectual disabilities; Intellectual Disability; Predictor Variables; Resilience (Psychology); resilience trauma‐informed care; secondary traumatic stress; staff wellbeing; Stress Variables; Trauma; Trauma Informed Approach; Work Environment; staff wellbeing; secondary traumatic stress; burnout; resilience trauma-informed care; adverse childhood experiences
• ISSN: 1360-2322; 1468-3148; 1468-3148
• DOI: 10.1111/jar.13148

Background There has been extensive research into adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), however, less consideration has been given to the prevalence and impact of ACEs for staff working with people with intellectual disabilities. Method Participants were staff employed by agencies that care for people with intellectual disabilities. An online survey collected demographic information and measures of ACEs, resilience, trauma‐informed organisational climate, burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Correlation, regression, mediation and moderation analyses were used. Results 81.7% of 109 participants had experienced at least one ACE. Burnout, secondary traumatic stress and resilience were greater in the present study than in comparable samples. Trauma‐informed organisational climate significantly predicted burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Resilience significantly predicted burnout. Conclusions Staff working with people with intellectual disabilities are likely to have experienced ACEs. Working in a trauma‐informed organisational climate and resilience may be effective avenues for reducing burnout and secondary traumatic stress.