PROFESSIONALS supporting traumatised children can have nightmares and other symptoms of stress, as a result of their work.
Social workers, hospital workers and helpline workers surveyed by Joan Burns and Elizabeth Campbell, of Glasgow University, all said that sexual abuse of children was the hardest thing to deal with.
Social workers seemed to suffer the most, with ymptoms for all groups including sleep disturbance, nightmares, intrusive thoughts linking case details to their own children, and avoiding difficult appointments or tasks at work. Many reported affected colleagues changing jobs or careers.
Dr Burns said the findings could be applied to other professionals working with traumatised children, including teachers.
