Social workers experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at twice the rate of the general population, shows a new study by University of Georgia assistant professor Brian Bride. Like family members of war veterans and Holocaust survivors, they may experience secondary PTSD as a result of repeatedly being exposed to stories of violence and other trauma.
Overall, 55 percent of social workers met one or more diagnostic criteria for PTSD. In a survey of almost nearly 300 practicing social workers, Bride found that:
- 40 percent thought about their work with traumatized clients without intending toHe further warned that this may contribute to high rates of burnout in the profession and suggested universities integrate programs teaching future social workers to recognize and treat the symptoms of the disorder.- 22 percent reported feeling detached from others
- 26 percent felt emotionally numb
- 28 percent had a sense of foreshortened future
- 27 percent reported irritability
- 28 percent reported concentration difficulties
Results of the study are published in this month's edition of Social Work.
Read more: UGA study finds that social workers may indirectly experience post-traumatic stress
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