Annual of social work, Vol. 32 No. 1, 2025.
Original scientific paper
MENTAL HEALTH OF HELPERS WHO WORK WITH TRAUMATIZED CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Ivana Čosić Pregrad
; Psihološki centar za djecu i obitelji BRIGOJEDAC
*
Ines Rezo Bagarić
; Faculty of Law, Department of Social work, Zagreb, Croatia
Marina Ajduković
; Faculty of Law, Department of Social work, Zagreb, Croatia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The goals of the study were aimed at describing the negative effects of working with traumatized children and adolescents on various aspects of the helper's mental health, and describing the characteristics and the role of supervision in the process of empowering the helper to provide support to traumatized children and adolescents, as well as to take better care of their own mental health. 12 participants took part in the research, experts who are employed in public welfare institutions for children and institutions of the health system and the non-governmental sector aimed at providing treatment support to children and young people with trauma experience. Their ratio within regard to the place of employment in the sample was equal. All participants had at least five or more years of work experience. A qualitative approach was used in the research, and the data wereas collected through a semi-structured research interview. The conducted research confirmed the negative effects of working with traumatized children and adolescents, which participants described through the constructs of secondary traumatic stress, vicarious traumatization and compassion fatigue. The key recommendation of the research is focused on the need toof raiseing awareness about the importance of mental health care among helpers, recognizing and acknowledging their susceptibility to the effects of secondary traumatic stress and vicarious traumatization, as well as compassion fatigue, as necessary and inevitable consequences of their work.
Keywords
helper’s mental health, secondary traumatic stress; vicarious traumatization; compassion fatigue; trauma informed approach.
Hrčak ID:
344718
URI
Publication date:
1.2.2026.
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