• Elizabeth A Penix, Kristina M Clarke-Walper, Felicia L Trachtenberg, Ashley M Magnavita, Erica Simon, Kile Ortigo, Julia Coleman, Lisa Marceau, Josef I Ruzek, Raymond C Rosen, and Joshua E Wilk.
• Military Psychiatry Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
• Mil Med. 2020 Sep 18; 185 (9-10): e1728-e1735.

IntroductionThis study examined risk factors for secondary traumatic stress (STS) in behavioral health clinicians and whether access to the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Clinicians Exchange website mitigated STS risk.MethodsA diverse sample of clinicians (N = 605) treating traumatized military populations in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Defense, and community practice settings were randomized to a newsletter-only control group or the exchange group. The exchange website included resources for treating PTSD and promoting clinician well-being. Online surveys were administered at 0-, 6-, and 12-months postrandomization. Regression analyses were used to examine the link among risk factors, exchange access, and STS.ResultsBaseline clinician demographics, experience, total caseload, appeal of evidence-based practices (EBPs), and likelihood of adopting EBPs if required were not linked with STS at the 12-month assessment period. Providing care at the VA, more burnout, less compassion satisfaction, greater trauma caseload, less openness to new EBPs, and greater divergence from EBP procedures were linked with greater STS. Only burnout and divergence were associated with STS after accounting for other significant STS risk factors. Exchange and control group clinicians reported similar STS levels after accounting for burnout and divergence.ConclusionsGiven that burnout was linked with STS, future intervention may use techniques targeting burnout and STS (eg, emotion regulation strategies). Research exploring the link between divergence from EBPs and STS may inform EBP dissemination efforts and STS interventions. Finally, results highlight the need for research optimizing STS intervention efficacy among clinicians treating military populations.© Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2020. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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