Abstract:
Objectives: The aim of the study is to measure the level of vicarious trauma, posttraumatic growth (PTG), and
other factors affecting PTG among child protective service workers.
Methods: We include posttraumatic stress, social support, stress coping, and demographic data as independent
variables. Data was collected from 255 full-time social workers from 43 child protective agencies as acomplete
enumeration and 204 included in the final analysis.
Results: The major findings of the study were as follows: The mean score of PTG was 44.09 (SD:21.73). Hierarchical
multiple regression was adopted and "pursuing social support as a way of coping with stress" was the strongest
predictive factor (β=0.319, p<0.001) of PTG.
Conclusion: We suggest that child protective workers are vulnerable to posttraumatic stress and mental health
services are indicated. We also recommend various types of training for stress coping program, especially
strengthening the social support system of the child protective service workers in South Korea.