Abstract
This study examined how risk and protective factors for secondary trauma relate to graduate students’ emotional responses to field work in the California State University, Sacramento Master of Social Work (MSW) program. Using an original survey conducted on a convenience sample (N=37) of enrolled students, the author measured participants’ exposure to trauma at their field internships and their emotional responses to field work including anger, sadness, anxiety, and fulfillment. The survey also gauged students’ levels of perceived support from faculty, staff, and peers in the MSW program, their level of training for working with trauma clients, and their discussion and use of coping skills for dealing with secondary trauma. Responses indicted that most students were exposed to trauma in the field and a majority frequently experienced anxiety and sadness. A significant minority of students also reported feelings of fulfillment and anger. Despite the presence of protective factors, Kendall’s Tau analysis and Ordered Logistic Regression models revealed that an increased frequency of trauma exposure was associated with more frequent feelings of anger and sadness. Implications for social work practice and policy are discussed.