Validating the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale for Pediatric Nurses.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Secondary traumatic stress is a state of mental distress resulting from indirect exposure to the traumatic situation of another individual. The literature indicates that secondary traumatic stress is a problem in some areas of nursing and may cause nurses to leave the profession. This article examines the psychometrics of the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS) with a sample of pediatric nurses. METHODS:The STSS was completed by a random sample of 350 Certified Pediatric Nurses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were completed to assess the STSS and its subscales. RESULTS:Cronbach's αs ranged from 0.81 to 0.87 for each factor, and was 0.92 for the STSS as a whole. Fit indices were similar for all models. CONCLUSIONS:Reliability statistics and fit indices support the previous psychometric studies.