An intervention for reducing secondary traumatization and improving professional self-efficacy in well baby clinic nurses following war and terror: a random control group trial

Abstract

Background: Due to the terror and war-related situation in Israel, well baby clinic nurses dealing with a large number of traumatized and highly distressed infants, toddlers and their parents have become overwhelmed.

Objectives: (1) Assess the level of secondary traumatization, including lack of compassion satisfaction, burnout and compassion fatigue of well baby clinic nurses living under chronic threat of war and terror. (2) Assess the efficacy of an intervention aimed at providing well baby clinic nurses with psycho-educational knowledge pertaining to stress and trauma in infants, young children and parents. This intervention provides the nurses with screening tools for identifying children and parents at risk of developing stress-related problems and equips them with stress management techniques.

Design: Quasi-random control trial.

Setting: The intervention took place in Israel, in war (North) and terror (South) affected areas.

Participants: Ninety well baby clinic nurses from the most war and terror affected areas in Israel were approached, 42 were randomly assigned the experimental intervention and 38 served as a waiting list group.

Methods: The intervention was comprised of 12 weekly 6-h sessions. Each session included theoretical knowledge, experiential exercises based on the nurses' work or personal life experience, and the learning of skills accompanied by homework assignments. Participants were assessed on self-report measures of secondary traumatization, professional self-efficacy, hope, sense of mastery and self-esteem before and after the intervention.

Results: (1) Well baby clinic nurses were found to have elevated secondary traumatization levels. (2) Compared to the waiting list group, the intervention group improved significantly on the professional self-efficacy measure as well as reducing the level of secondary traumatization. Furthermore, improvement on all secondary traumatization measures covaried with the improvement on the professional self-efficacy assessments. Based on additional informal reports, the improvement was observed to be clinically significant.

Conclusions: Training of medical personnel who work with traumatized children and their families and who may also be under the threat of war and terror is essential to both improving their professional functioning, as well as reducing the vulnerability to secondary traumatization.