Date of Award

Fall 2019

Degree Type

Doctoral Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice

Committee Chair

Dr. Karen Rich

Committee Chair School

Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice

Committee Member 2

Dr. Patsy Anderson

Committee Member 2 School

Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice

Abstract

Job stress attributed to secondary exposure to trauma and the high work demands put child protective service workers at high risk of developing physical and psychological health problems. The purpose of the project was to develop and implement a self-care and wellness educational program addressing job stress among child protective service workers (CPS) guided by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Science Administration’s (SAMSHA, n.d.b) educational toolkit, Promoting Staff Wellness and Preventing Vicarious Trauma and other Work Force Concerns, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC, 2019c) section on Adverse Childhood Experiences, and the National Council for Community Behavioral Health’s (NCCBH, 2012) educational toolkit, Is Your Organization Trauma-Informed? The sample consisted of 29 participants. The project occurred at a local child protective service facility in an urban area. Participants included the Regional Director, area social worker supervisors, the Area Intake Supervisor, CPS workers, and social worker aides. In this project, the CDC’s (2016) Workplace health promotion workplace health model was used to facilitate planning the health promotion program. A review of the evidence was conducted to determine types of job stress specific to child protective service workers and best practices to prevent negative effects of job stress. A pre-test was administered to 23 participants to determine their baseline knowledge. Handouts were provided. The educational materials were delivered. A post-test was administered to 17 participants at the end of the educational training. After the post-test was completed, a survey was administered to 18 participants. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results. Results revealed a 15% increase in the participants’ knowledge level, intentions to engage in all self-care activities with the highest intentions focused on emotional self-care, and 60% found materials regarding self-care most helpful. The educational program, which was developed using evidence-based guidelines, improved the knowledge level and awareness of self-care and wellness among CPS workers.

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