An Overview of Research on Secondary Traumatic Stress in K-12 Teaching: What We Know and What We Still Need to Learn

Abstract

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) has a significant adverse impact on many in the teaching profession. STS can be described as the symptoms of extreme stress experienced from direct exposure to traumatized individuals. In this essay, I present a synthesis of the scant existing research on STS in education and other caring professions to illustrate its significance as well as a brief discussion of possible positive and negative outcomes.

Keywords:

• Trauma
• secondary traumatic stress
• K-12 education
• teachers

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Dr. Steve White for your support and advice during the writing process and your belief in the importance of the issue. This manuscript is dedicated to my fellow K-12 schoolteachers engaged in the daily struggle of teaching under the weight of secondary traumatic stress. My heart is with you.