Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale – STSS
Measures the frequency of secondary traumatic stress symptoms in helping professionals exposed to traumatized populations.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale – STSS was developed by Bride, B.E., Robinson, M.R., Yegidis, B., & Figley, C.R. (2004). It is designed to measure Secondary Traumatic Stress. The scale is intended for use with Helping professionals working with traumatized clients.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 17 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Intrusion, Avoidance, Arousal.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Intrusion | 2,3,6,10,13 | 5 |
| Avoidance | 1,5,7,9,12,14,17 | 7 |
| Arousal | 4,8,11,15,16 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never, 2 = Rarely, 3 = Occasionally, 4 = Often, 5 = Very Often.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 17 to 85. Interpretation guidelines:
- Little or no secondary traumatic stress: 17 – 27
- Mild secondary traumatic stress: 28 – 37
- Moderate secondary traumatic stress: 38 – 48
- Severe secondary traumatic stress: 49 – 85
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Intrusion (0.80), Avoidance (0.87), Arousal (0.83).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.