A first-of-its-kind research project is looking into the impact that secondary trauma has on staff working in Australia’s schools, amid studies showing the need for more research into the impact on teachers working with traumatised students.
Secondary trauma – commonly called vicarious trauma in the community – is experienced when people are exposed to difficult or disturbing images and stories second-hand.
This can include the distress of learning about the trauma experienced by a student or their family member and/or managing consequential behavioural changes within the school environment.
The new research project is being conducted by Dr John Molineux, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management in Deakin Business School, and Dr Adam Fraser, a peak performance researcher and keynote speaker.
While many educators are implementing trauma informed practice to better support the wellbeing and learning of students who have experienced trauma, the researchers note a glaring lack of focus on the impact of this important work on educators.
To address this, Dr Fraser and Dr Molineux aim to answer four key questions: how prevalent is this issue in Australian schools?; what are the key factors that lead to secondary trauma in educators?; what are the strategies that are used to manage it?; and what strategies are most effective in minimising the impact of secondary trauma?
“Given the more challenging social times that we face nowadays, many educators are supporting students and families who have experienced trauma,” Dr Fraser told The Educator.
“However, there is very little research on the impact of this on the educator and school staff.”
Dr Fraser said there has only been one study on teachers in Victoria looking at whether a personal history of trauma and mental illness makes it harder for them to cope with traumatised students.
“Even globally there are only a handful of studies exploring this issue. We’re doing the very first national study exploring the impact of secondary trauma on teaching and non-teaching staff,” he said.
“We’re currently at the data collection point, and then we’re going to begin analysis in October.”
Dr Fraser noted that most of the research done on this topic has been in the U.S. and has looked at teachers, teachers’ assistants, and admin staff.
“What we’re wanting is a comprehensive snapshot of what does this thing actually look like in Australia; interviews with people around what solutions work; and what helps them cope,” he said.
“What our data shows far is that it is a significant issue and there is a lack of support in this area.”