Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care for Social Work Students During Field Practicum

NCT07843914 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: Trauma-Informed Education
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care Intervention in reducing secondary traumatic stress among undergraduate social work students completing their field practicum. During field education, social work students may have direct professional contact with individuals affected by child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, poverty, loss, and other potentially traumatic experiences. Repeated indirect exposure to clients' traumatic experiences may place students at risk for secondary traumatic stress. A total of 80 fourth-year undergraduate social work students will participate in the study. Participants will be allocated to an intervention group (n=40) or a control group (n=40) according to the geographic location of their routine field practicum. Students completing their field practicum in Manisa Province will constitute the intervention group, whereas students completing their field practicum outside Manisa Province, including İzmir and other provinces, will constitute the control group. The intervention group will receive a two-hour Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care workshop before or at the beginning of field practicum, followed by three structured self-help and peer-sharing group sessions during the practicum period. The control group will continue the routine field practicum process and standard university internship orientation without receiving the study-specific intervention during the study period. Secondary traumatic stress will be assessed repeatedly in both groups throughout the approximately four-month practicum period. Psychological resilience will be assessed at baseline as a supportive participant characteristic. Intervention-related knowledge and skills will also be assessed in the intervention group. The primary hypothesis is that students participating in the Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care Intervention will demonstrate a more favorable change in secondary traumatic stress over time compared with students in the control group.

Conditions

Secondary Traumatic Stress

Keywords

Social work students; secondary traumatic stress; trauma-informed education; self-care; psychological resilience; peer support; social work education

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale Total Score

  Secondary traumatic stress will be assessed using the 17-item Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale. Each item is rated on a five-point Likert scale. Total scores range from 17 to 85, with higher scores indicating greater secondary traumatic stress and therefore a worse outcome. The scale will be administered at baseline and at three follow-up assessments during the field practicum. The primary outcome will be the change in Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale total scores over time and the difference in this change between the intervention and control groups.

  Baseline and Weeks 4, 8, and 12 after the start of field practicum

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Change From Baseline in Resilience Evaluation Scale Total Score

  Baseline and Weeks 4, 8, and 12 after the start of field practicum

Other Outcomes (1)

• Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care Intervention Module Knowledge and Skills Assessment Form Total Score

  Immediately after completion of the initial 2-hour training session (Day 0)

Study Arms (2)

Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm will receive the standard university internship orientation and routine field practicum activities in addition to two study-specific behavioral interventions: a 2-hour Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care Psychoeducational Workshop and three structured 60-minute Self-Help and Peer-Sharing Group Sessions conducted during the field practicum.

Behavioral: Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care Psychoeducational Workshop; Behavioral: Self-Help and Peer-Sharing Group Sessions

Standard Field Practicum and Internship Orientation

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in this arm will continue their routine field practicum and receive the standard academic internship orientation provided by the university. They will not receive either of the study-specific behavioral interventions during the study evaluation period. After completion of all study assessments, participants may receive the educational module and a digital Trauma-Informed Self-Care Guide upon request.

Interventions

Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care Psychoeducational Workshop BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the intervention arm will receive a 2-hour interactive psychoeducational workshop before or at the beginning of field practicum. The workshop covers trauma-informed practice, the nature and indirect effects of trauma, recognition of physiological and emotional stress responses, secondary traumatic stress, stress-management strategies, breathing and grounding exercises, cognitive flexibility, professional boundaries, and self-care strategies.

Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care Intervention

Self-Help and Peer-Sharing Group Sessions BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the intervention arm will participate in three structured 60-minute small-group sessions conducted during the field practicum. The sessions provide a facilitated and psychologically safe environment in which participants can reflect on emotionally challenging field experiences, discuss the emotional impact of difficult cases, receive peer support, review self-care practices, and reinforce coping and emotional regulation strategies.

Trauma-Informed Education and Self-Care Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Fourth-year undergraduate student enrolled in the Department of Social Work, Faculty of Health Sciences, Manisa Celal Bayar University, during the Fall Semester of the 2026-2027 academic year
• Enrolled in the required Social Work Practice course
• Actively completing a field practicum involving direct professional contact with social work clients
• Willing to participate in the study and able to provide written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Not actively participating in the required field practicum at the time of enrollment
• No direct professional contact with social work clients during the practicum
• Declining or being unable to provide written informed consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Manisa Celal Bayar University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Manisa Celal Bayar University Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Social Work Manisa, Türkiye

Manisa, 45020, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Compassion Fatigue

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Fatigue; Fatigue; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Occupational Stress; Stress, Psychological

Study Officials

• Hakan Baydur

  Manisa Celal Bayar Üniversitesi

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Hakan Baydur, Prof.Dr.

CONTACT

05067021872; hakan.baydur@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Prof.Dr.

Model Details: Participants will be assigned to one of two parallel study arms according to the geographic location of their routine field practicum. Students completing their practicum in Manisa Province will constitute the intervention group, whereas students completing their practicum outside Manisa Province will constitute the control group. Individual randomization will not be performed.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 16, 2026
• First Posted: September 28, 2026
• Study Start: September 25, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 20, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 30, 2027
• Last Updated: October 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)