The implementation and evaluation of a mhealth intervention to address secondary traumatic stress among frontline mental health care providers in South Africa

Abstract

Providing mental health care to trauma survivors may lead to secondary traumatic stress (STS) amongst mental health care service providers (MHCPs) and existing interventions for STS are labour intensive and have limited accessibility. In contrast, mobile health (mHealth) interventions offer an alternative means of mental health care. This study implemented and evaluated the effectiveness of an international smartphone application (i.e., COVID Coach) that was designed to support health care providers’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included MHCPs working with traumatised populations in South Africa. The study used a triangulation design comprising of three interrelated phases. Phase One investigated the prevalence of STS and its associated risk and protective factors. Findings from Phase One showed that more than a quarter of the sample (33%) reported moderate levels of STS and that increased exposure to vicarious trauma and the female gender were associated with higher levels of STS. In addition, increased levels of STS and greater support from family were associated with increased post-traumatic growth (PTG). Phase Two explored the lived experience of trauma work and salient themes that emerged included shattered pre-existing assumptions and transformative experiences that were reminiscent of vicarious PTG.