Secondary Traumatic Stress2021_VUB_CFCSJNCT07384026
International Online Survey Assessing Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout, Compassion Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions Among Youth Care (Para)Professionals in Flanders, Wallonia, France and The Netherlands.
An observational study of Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout, Professional, run by Vrije Universiteit Brussel at 1 site in Belgium.
Trial summary
The goal of this observational study is to understand how work-related stress and personal characteristics affect the wellbeing of adults who work with children and young people in youth care services in Flanders, Wallonia, France and The Netherlands. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout, Professional, Compassion Fatigue
- How many people
- 4,214 participants
- Where
- 1 siteBelgium
- Study dates
- 6 Feb 2022to 3 Oct 2024
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: The study population consists of adults working as (para)professionals in youth care services in Flanders, Wallonia, France, and The Netherlands. Participants are recruited from organizations that provide support, guidance, or protection to children and adolescents, including residential care facilities, family support services, foster care agencies, and other youth care settings. Recruitment occurs through collaboration with youth care organizations and universities in the participating regions. All participants complete a one-time anonymous online survey.
Who may be able to join
- Adult (18 years or older).
- Currently working as a (para)professional in youth care services.
- Provides support or guidance to children or adolescents who are followed by a youth care organization in Flanders, Wallonia, France or The Netherlands.
- Able to complete an online survey in Dutch or French.
- Provides informed consent electronically.
Who cannot join
- Works in a youth care service where exposure to client trauma is unlikely (for example, services focused mainly on prevention).
- Works with children or adolescents who are followed primarily due to a disability, without likelihood of trauma exposure.
- Unable to complete the online survey independently.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: An International Study on the Professional Quality of Life of Youth Care Professionals
The goal of this observational study is to understand how work-related stress and personal characteristics affect the wellbeing of adults who work with children and young people in youth care services in Flanders, Wallonia, France and The Netherlands. The study focuses on three aspects of professional wellbeing: secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and compassion satisfaction. These feelings can develop when people regularly support children and families who have experienced trauma. The study also looks at whether these experiences influence participants' intention to leave their job.
The main questions this study aims to answer are:
Read more
- What are the levels of secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and compassion satisfaction among youth care (para)professionals?
- Which personal, work-related, and client-related factors raise or lower the risk of experiencing these outcomes?
- How do these wellbeing outcomes relate to participants' intention to leave their job?
- Do these outcomes differ between regions (Flanders, Wallonia, France, The Netherlands) and between types of youth care roles (professional vs. paraprofessional)?
Participants will complete an anonymous online survey that takes about 15 to 20 minutes. The survey asks about everyday work experiences, personal wellbeing, social support, workload, client characteristics, and professional quality of life. All answers are anonymous, and no identifying information (such as names or IP addresses) is collected.
There is no intervention and no comparison group; this study only collects information to better understand the wellbeing of youth care (para)professionals. The goal is to identify challenges and strengths in the sector and to support future prevention and intervention efforts that promote healthy, sustainable working conditions.
The study includes adults who work directly with children or adolescents in youth care settings, such as residential care workers, family support workers, foster care staff, foster carers and other caregiving professionals. People whose roles involve low likelihood of trauma exposure (such as prevention-focused services) are not included.
Ultimately, this research aims to help youth care organizations better support their workforce, reduce work-related stress, and improve continuity and quality of care for children and families.
Read the detailed description
This observational study examines the professional quality of life of (para)professionals working in youth care services in Flanders, Wallonia, and France. Youth care providers are frequently exposed to the emotional and psychological impact of working with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. This exposure may contribute to secondary traumatic stress (STS), burnout, and variations in compassion satisfaction. These factors are collectively conceptualized under the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) model. Understanding the levels, predictors, and consequences of these outcomes is essential for safeguarding the wellbeing of the workforce and ensuring continuity and quality of youth care services.
The study uses an anonymous online survey developed in Qualtrics. The survey includes structured modules that assess personal factors (e.g., demographic characteristics, social support, financial strain, personality traits, self-care behaviors), work-related characteristics (e.g., workload, work-family conflict, organizational support, colleague support, job role, caseload, type of service), and client-related factors (e.g., client trauma exposure, case complexity, involvement with crisis cases, perceived overinvolvement with clients). These domains are followed by validated instruments measuring the primary outcomes: secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and compassion satisfaction, derived from the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5 (ProQOL-5). Turnover intention is assessed using items adapted from previous research in child welfare settings.
Data collection procedures ensure anonymity and confidentiality. IP tracking in Qualtrics is disabled, and no identifying information is stored. Data are downloaded from Qualtrics into a secure, password-protected SharePoint environment hosted by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Only authorized members of the research team have access to the dataset. After the response rate per organization is calculated, the variable identifying the participant's employing organization is deleted to prevent potential re-identification.
The statistical analysis plan includes a combination of descriptive and inferential approaches. Descriptive analyses summarize levels of STS, burnout, and compassion satisfaction across regions. Group comparisons between Flanders, Wallonia, France and The Netherlands are conducted using independent samples t-tests or ANOVA, depending on the number of comparison groups. Predictor analyses include Pearson correlations, t-tests, and ANOVA to identify variables associated with each outcome domain at the exploratory level. Subsequently, separate multiple linear regression models are conducted for burnout, STS, and compassion satisfaction, including predictors that showed relations at p ≤ .10 in preliminary analyses. Turnover intention is examined using hierarchical regression to determine whether STS, burnout, and compassion satisfaction explain additional variance beyond personal, work, and client factors. Differences in outcome levels across types of youth care roles (e.g., residential workers, family support workers, foster care staff) are evaluated using t-tests and ANOVA.
To ensure data quality, the dataset is screened for missing values, outliers, and inconsistencies before analysis. Cases with extensive missingness or extreme outliers may be removed. Analyses are performed in IBM SPSS Statistics version 27. The sample size target of approximately 3,000 participants allows for adequate statistical power to detect differences across subgroups and to estimate multivariable models with sufficient precision.
The study is conducted in accordance with ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and Good Clinical Practice guidelines. Data collection is entirely anonymous, and informed consent is obtained electronically prior to participation. Participants may complete the survey at their convenience, and the survey duration is approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Given the growing pressure on youth care systems and the increasing demand for services, understanding risk and protective factors that shape professional wellbeing is highly relevant. The findings of this study will contribute to developing prevention strategies, informing organizational support systems, and guiding policy decisions aimed at improving working conditions and reducing staff turnover. The results will be disseminated through scientific publications, master's theses, and a doctoral dissertation. National and regional research teams in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands will publish region-specific analyses as appropriate.
- Conditions
- Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout, Professional, Compassion Fatigue, Compassion Satisfaction, Turnoverintention, Professional Quality of Life
- Keywords
- Burnout, Secondary Traumatic Stress, Compassion Fatigue, Compassion Satisfaction, Turnover, Child Welfare, Foster Carer
- Medical subject headings
- Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, Professional, Burnout, Psychological
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Youth Care (Para)Professionals | This cohort consists of adults working as (para)professionals in youth care services in Flanders, Wallonia, France and The Netherlands. Participants share the common exposure of providing direct support to children and adolescents who may have experienced trauma. All participants complete a single, anonymous online survey assessing personal, work-related, and client-related factors as well as measures of secondary traumatic stress, burnout, compassion satisfaction, and turnover intention. No intervention is administered, and no follow-up occurs; the cohort represents a single cross-sectional observational group. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Secondary Traumatic Stress Score on the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5)
Secondary traumatic stress will be measured using the Secondary Traumatic Stress subscale of the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5 (ProQOL-5). The scale produces a summed score ranging from 10 to 50, where higher scores indicate higher levels of secondary traumatic stress resulting from indirect exposure to others' trauma. Participants rate how often work-related experiences occurred in the past 30 days on a 5-point Likert scale.
Measured: Day 1
Burnout Score on the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5)
Burnout will be measured using the Burnout subscale of the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5 (ProQOL-5). This subscale yields a total score between 10 and 50, with higher scores reflecting higher levels of work-related emotional and physical exhaustion. Items are rated using a 5-point Likert scale based on the frequency of experiences during the past 30 days.
Measured: Day 1
Compassion Satisfaction Score on the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5)
Compassion satisfaction will be measured using the Compassion Satisfaction subscale of the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5 (ProQOL-5). Scores range from 10 to 50, with higher values indicating greater satisfaction and positive feelings derived from helping others in one's professional role. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale based on experiences in the past 30 days.
Measured: Day 1
Secondary outcomes (1)
Turnover Intention Score on the Turnover Intention Scale
Turnover intention will be measured using items adapted from validated turnover intention scales used in child welfare research (e.g., Prost \& Middleton, 2020). The measure assesses the participant's intention to leave their job or the child welfare field. Items are rated on a Likert scale, and scores are summed to produce a continuous value. Higher scores indicate a stronger intention to leave the profession. The expected score range depends on the number of included items, but higher values consistently reflect greater turnover intention.
Measured: Day 1
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted3 Feb 2026
- Study start6 Feb 2022
- Primary completion3 Oct 2024
- Study completion3 Oct 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (25)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Secondary Traumatic StressStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Vrije Universiteit BrusselThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 4,214 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Universiteit Leiden
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Johan Vanderfaeillie, PhD, Study chair, johan.vanderfaeillie@vub.be
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07384026
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- B.U.N. 1432021000667
- Acronym
- 2021_VUB_CFCSJ
- Status last verified
- Jan 2026
- First submitted
- 26 Jan 2026
- Last updated
- 11 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared. The study collects anonymous survey data through Qualtrics, without any identifying information or the ability to link responses to individuals. As described in the protocol, the data will be used exclusively for the purposes of this study and stored securely on a password-protected SharePoint environment of the VUB. Because the dataset contains anonymous responses and no plan for external IPD sharing was defined in the protocol, IPD cannot be made available.
Publications
Maslach C, Schaufeli WB, Leiter MP. Job burnout. Annu Rev Psychol. 2001;52:397-422. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397.
PubMed 11148311Verheyden, C., Van Holen, F., West, D. & Vanderfaeillie, J. (2020). Secondary traumatic stress, burnout and compassion satisfaction among Flemish foster care workers during the COVID- 19 lockdown. Developmental Child Welfare, 2(4), 227-243. https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220987227
Schaufeli, W.B. & Bakker A.B. (2007). Burnout en bevlogenheid [Burnout and work engagement]. In W.B. Schaufeli & A.B. Bakker (Red.). De psychologie van arbeid en gezondheid (pp. 341- 358). Bohn Stafleu van Loghum.
Salloum, A., Kondrat, D. C., Johnco, C. & Olson, K. R. (2015). The role of self-care on compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary trauma among child welfare workers. Children and Youth Services Review, 49, 54-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.12.023
Mor Barak, M. E., Levin, A., Nissly, J. A. & Lane, C. J. (2006). Why do they leave? Modeling child welfare workers' turnover intentions. Children and Youth Services Review, 28(5), 548-577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2005.06.003
Middleton, J. S. & Potter, C. C. (2015). Relationship Between Vicarious Traumatization and Turnover Among Child Welfare Professionals. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 9(2), 195- 216. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2015.1021987
Lizano, E., & Mor Barak, M. (2012). Workplace demands and resources as antecedents of job burnout among public child welfare workers: A longitudinal study. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(9),1769-1776.
Gosling, S., Rentfrow, P., & Swann, W. (2003). A very brief measure of the Big-Five personality domains. Journal of Research in Personality, 37(6), 504-528.
Figley, C. (1995). Compassion fatigue as secondary traumatic stress disorder: An overview. In C. Figley (Ed.), Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized (pp. 1-20). Routledge.
Elo, A.-L., Dallner, M., Gamberale, F., Hottinen, V., Knardahl, S., Lindström, K., Skogstad, A., & Ørhede, E. (2000). Validation of the Nordic Questionnaire for Psychological and Social Factors at Work-QPSNordic. In M. Vartiainen, F. Avallone, & N. Anderson (Eds.), Innovative theories, tools, and practices in work and organizational psychology (pp. 47-57). Hogrefe & Huber Publishers.
Cornille, T. A. & Meyers, T. W. (1999). Secondary traumatic stress among child protective service workers: Prevalence, severity and predictive factors. Traumatology, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/153476569900500105
Chen, Y. Y., Park, J. & Park, A. (2012). Existence, relatedness, or growth? Examining turnover intention of public child welfare caseworkers from a human needs approach. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(10), 2088-2093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.07.002
Boyas, J. & Wind, L. H. (2010). Employment-based social capital, job stress, and employee burnout: A public child welfare employee structural model. Children and Youth Services Review, 32(3), 380-388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2009.10.009
Borntrager, C., Caringi, J. C., van den Pol, R., Crosby, L., O'Connell, K., Trautman, A. & McDonald, M. (2012). Secondary traumatic stress in school personnel. Advances in School Mental Health Promotion, 5(1), 38-50. https://doi.org/10.1080/1754730x.2012.664862
Sprang G, Craig C, Clark J. Secondary traumatic stress and burnout in child welfare workers: a comparative analysis of occupational distress across professional groups. Child Welfare. 2011;90(6):149-68.
PubMed 22533047
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 11 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- An International Study on the Professional Quality of Life of Youth Care Professionals
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07384026
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2021_VUB_CFCSJ / B.U.N. 1432021000667
- Conditions
- Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout, Professional, Compassion Fatigue, Compassion Satisfaction, Turnoverintention, Professional Quality of Life
- Keywords
- Burnout, Secondary Traumatic Stress, Compassion Fatigue, Compassion Satisfaction, Turnover, Child Welfare, Foster Carer
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 4,214 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Vrije Universiteit BrusselUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Universiteit Leiden
- Study start
- 6 Feb 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 3 Oct 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 3 Oct 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 3 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this observational study is to understand how work-related stress and personal characteristics affect the wellbeing of adults who work with children and young people in youth care services in Flanders, Wallonia, France and The Netherlands. The study focuses on three aspects of professional wellbeing: secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and compassion satisfaction. These feelings can develop when people regularly support children and families who have experienced trauma. The study also looks at whether these experiences influence participants' intention to leave their job.
The main questions this study aims to answer are:
- What are the levels of secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and compassion satisfaction among youth care (para)professionals?
- Which personal, work-related, and client-related factors raise or lower the risk of experiencing these outcomes?
- How do these wellbeing outcomes relate to participants' intention to leave their job?
- Do these outcomes differ between regions (Flanders, Wallonia, France, The Netherlands) and between types of youth care roles (professional vs. paraprofessional)?
Participants will complete an anonymous online survey that takes about 15 to 20 minutes. The survey asks about everyday work experiences, personal wellbeing, social support, workload, client characteristics, and professional quality of life. All answers are anonymous, and no identifying information (such as names or IP addresses) is collected.
There is no intervention and no comparison group; this study only collects information to better understand the wellbeing of youth care (para)professionals. The goal is to identify challenges and strengths in the sector and to support future prevention and intervention efforts that promote healthy, sustainable working conditions.
The study includes adults who work directly with children or adolescents in youth care settings, such as residential care workers, family support workers, foster care staff, foster carers and other caregiving professionals. People whose roles involve low likelihood of trauma exposure (such as prevention-focused services) are not included.
Ultimately, this research aims to help youth care organizations better support their workforce, reduce work-related stress, and improve continuity and quality of care for children and families.
Detailed description
This observational study examines the professional quality of life of (para)professionals working in youth care services in Flanders, Wallonia, and France. Youth care providers are frequently exposed to the emotional and psychological impact of working with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. This exposure may contribute to secondary traumatic stress (STS), burnout, and variations in compassion satisfaction. These factors are collectively conceptualized under the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) model. Understanding the levels, predictors, and consequences of these outcomes is essential for safeguarding the wellbeing of the workforce and ensuring continuity and quality of youth care services.
The study uses an anonymous online survey developed in Qualtrics. The survey includes structured modules that assess personal factors (e.g., demographic characteristics, social support, financial strain, personality traits, self-care behaviors), work-related characteristics (e.g., workload, work-family conflict, organizational support, colleague support, job role, caseload, type of service), and client-related factors (e.g., client trauma exposure, case complexity, involvement with crisis cases, perceived overinvolvement with clients). These domains are followed by validated instruments measuring the primary outcomes: secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and compassion satisfaction, derived from the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5 (ProQOL-5). Turnover intention is assessed using items adapted from previous research in child welfare settings.
Data collection procedures ensure anonymity and confidentiality. IP tracking in Qualtrics is disabled, and no identifying information is stored. Data are downloaded from Qualtrics into a secure, password-protected SharePoint environment hosted by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Only authorized members of the research team have access to the dataset. After the response rate per organization is calculated, the variable identifying the participant's employing organization is deleted to prevent potential re-identification.
The statistical analysis plan includes a combination of descriptive and inferential approaches. Descriptive analyses summarize levels of STS, burnout, and compassion satisfaction across regions. Group comparisons between Flanders, Wallonia, France and The Netherlands are conducted using independent samples t-tests or ANOVA, depending on the number of comparison groups. Predictor analyses include Pearson correlations, t-tests, and ANOVA to identify variables associated with each outcome domain at the exploratory level. Subsequently, separate multiple linear regression models are conducted for burnout, STS, and compassion satisfaction, including predictors that showed relations at p ≤ .10 in preliminary analyses. Turnover intention is examined using hierarchical regression to determine whether STS, burnout, and compassion satisfaction explain additional variance beyond personal, work, and client factors. Differences in outcome levels across types of youth care roles (e.g., residential workers, family support workers, foster care staff) are evaluated using t-tests and ANOVA.
To ensure data quality, the dataset is screened for missing values, outliers, and inconsistencies before analysis. Cases with extensive missingness or extreme outliers may be removed. Analyses are performed in IBM SPSS Statistics version 27. The sample size target of approximately 3,000 participants allows for adequate statistical power to detect differences across subgroups and to estimate multivariable models with sufficient precision.
The study is conducted in accordance with ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and Good Clinical Practice guidelines. Data collection is entirely anonymous, and informed consent is obtained electronically prior to participation. Participants may complete the survey at their convenience, and the survey duration is approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Given the growing pressure on youth care systems and the increasing demand for services, understanding risk and protective factors that shape professional wellbeing is highly relevant. The findings of this study will contribute to developing prevention strategies, informing organizational support systems, and guiding policy decisions aimed at improving working conditions and reducing staff turnover. The results will be disseminated through scientific publications, master's theses, and a doctoral dissertation. National and regional research teams in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands will publish region-specific analyses as appropriate.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Youth Care (Para)Professionals | – | –This cohort consists of adults working as (para)professionals in youth care services in Flanders, Wallonia, France and The Netherlands. Participants share the common exposure of providing direct support to children and adolescents who may have experienced trauma. All participants complete a single, anonymous online survey assessing personal, work-related, and client-related factors as well as measures of secondary traumatic stress, burnout, compassion satisfaction, and turnover intention. No intervention is administered, and no follow-up occurs; the cohort represents a single cross-sectional observational group. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- The study population consists of adults working as (para)professionals in youth care services in Flanders, Wallonia, France, and The Netherlands. Participants are recruited from organizations that provide support, guidance, or protection to children and adolescents, including residential care facilities, family support services, foster care agencies, and other youth care settings. Recruitment occurs through collaboration with youth care organizations and universities in the participating regions. All participants complete a one-time anonymous online survey.
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Adult (18 years or older).
- Currently working as a (para)professional in youth care services.
- Provides support or guidance to children or adolescents who are followed by a youth care organization in Flanders, Wallonia, France or The Netherlands.
- Able to complete an online survey in Dutch or French.
- Provides informed consent electronically.
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Works in a youth care service where exposure to client trauma is unlikely (for example, services focused mainly on prevention).
- Works with children or adolescents who are followed primarily due to a disability, without likelihood of trauma exposure.
- Unable to complete the online survey independently.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Secondary Traumatic Stress Score on the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5)
Time frame: Day 1
Secondary traumatic stress will be measured using the Secondary Traumatic Stress subscale of the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5 (ProQOL-5). The scale produces a summed score ranging from 10 to 50, where higher scores indicate higher levels of secondary traumatic stress resulting from indirect exposure to others' trauma. Participants rate how often work-related experiences occurred in the past 30 days on a 5-point Likert scale.
Burnout Score on the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5)
Time frame: Day 1
Burnout will be measured using the Burnout subscale of the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5 (ProQOL-5). This subscale yields a total score between 10 and 50, with higher scores reflecting higher levels of work-related emotional and physical exhaustion. Items are rated using a 5-point Likert scale based on the frequency of experiences during the past 30 days.
Compassion Satisfaction Score on the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5)
Time frame: Day 1
Compassion satisfaction will be measured using the Compassion Satisfaction subscale of the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5 (ProQOL-5). Scores range from 10 to 50, with higher values indicating greater satisfaction and positive feelings derived from helping others in one's professional role. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale based on experiences in the past 30 days.
1 secondary outcome
Turnover Intention Score on the Turnover Intention Scale
Time frame: Day 1
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 11 Feb 2026.
- Background: PubMed 11148311Maslach C, Schaufeli WB, Leiter MP. Job burnout. Annu Rev Psychol. 2001;52:397-422. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397.
- BackgroundVerheyden, C., Van Holen, F., West, D. & Vanderfaeillie, J. (2020). Secondary traumatic stress, burnout and compassion satisfaction among Flemish foster care workers during the COVID- 19 lockdown. Developmental Child Welfare, 2(4), 227-243. https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220987227
- BackgroundSchaufeli, W.B. & Bakker A.B. (2007). Burnout en bevlogenheid [Burnout and work engagement]. In W.B. Schaufeli & A.B. Bakker (Red.). De psychologie van arbeid en gezondheid (pp. 341- 358). Bohn Stafleu van Loghum.
- BackgroundSalloum, A., Kondrat, D. C., Johnco, C. & Olson, K. R. (2015). The role of self-care on compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary trauma among child welfare workers. Children and Youth Services Review, 49, 54-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.12.023
- BackgroundMor Barak, M. E., Levin, A., Nissly, J. A. & Lane, C. J. (2006). Why do they leave? Modeling child welfare workers' turnover intentions. Children and Youth Services Review, 28(5), 548-577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2005.06.003
- BackgroundMiddleton, J. S. & Potter, C. C. (2015). Relationship Between Vicarious Traumatization and Turnover Among Child Welfare Professionals. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 9(2), 195- 216. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2015.1021987
- BackgroundLizano, E., & Mor Barak, M. (2012). Workplace demands and resources as antecedents of job burnout among public child welfare workers: A longitudinal study. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(9),1769-1776.
- BackgroundGosling, S., Rentfrow, P., & Swann, W. (2003). A very brief measure of the Big-Five personality domains. Journal of Research in Personality, 37(6), 504-528.
- BackgroundFigley, C. (1995). Compassion fatigue as secondary traumatic stress disorder: An overview. In C. Figley (Ed.), Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized (pp. 1-20). Routledge.
- BackgroundElo, A.-L., Dallner, M., Gamberale, F., Hottinen, V., Knardahl, S., Lindström, K., Skogstad, A., & Ørhede, E. (2000). Validation of the Nordic Questionnaire for Psychological and Social Factors at Work-QPSNordic. In M. Vartiainen, F. Avallone, & N. Anderson (Eds.), Innovative theories, tools, and practices in work and organizational psychology (pp. 47-57). Hogrefe & Huber Publishers.
- BackgroundCornille, T. A. & Meyers, T. W. (1999). Secondary traumatic stress among child protective service workers: Prevalence, severity and predictive factors. Traumatology, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/153476569900500105
- BackgroundChen, Y. Y., Park, J. & Park, A. (2012). Existence, relatedness, or growth? Examining turnover intention of public child welfare caseworkers from a human needs approach. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(10), 2088-2093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.07.002
- Official government page describing the structure and mission of the Flemish integrated youth care system, relevant to the study context.Link provided by the sponsor.
- Annual public report offering data and background information about Flemish youth care services, providing contextual background for the study.Link provided by the sponsor.
- Official ProQOL site providing validated materials, scoring manuals, and information about the Professional Quality of Life framework.Link provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared. The study collects anonymous survey data through Qualtrics, without any identifying information or the ability to link responses to individuals. As described in the protocol, the data will be used exclusively for the purposes of this study and stored securely on a password-protected SharePoint environment of the VUB. Because the dataset contains anonymous responses and no plan for external IPD sharing was defined in the protocol, IPD cannot be made available.
Related trials for Secondary Traumatic Stress
Enrolling by invitation
PATH to Reducing Burnout Among Peers Who Deliver Overdose Prevention Services (R33 Phase Clinical Trial)
Burnout, Secondary Trauma
Not yet recruiting
Mobile-Based Resilience Intervention for Moral Injury, Compassion Fatigue, and Distress in ICU Nurses
Moral Injury
Active, not recruiting
A Pilot Study of RISE for Nurse Managers Retreat
Burnout, Secondary Traumatic Stress
Not yet recruiting
Mindful RAVANS Study
mTBI - Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Not yet recruitingPhase 2
Post-traumatic Estradiol Administration and Care Evaluation (PEACE)
Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain, Sexual Assault
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Johan Vanderfaeillie, PhD study chair
johan.vanderfaeillie@vub.be
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout, Professional, run by Vrije Universiteit Brussel at 1 site in Belgium.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 11 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Belgium. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Secondary Traumatic Stress Score on the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5) (time frame: Day 1). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07384026, which also lists 25 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 11 Feb 2026.