Assessing the Knowledge Level of Social Service Professionals on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Creating Training Guides

摘要

Objective: Creating training guides for social service workers to deliver more effective services for veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome. Background: Effective service delivery for veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome is often hampered by a lack of knowledge about how to identify the signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Appropriate training guides can provide integral benefits including: improved situational awareness, more accurate data gathered in the intake process, a reduction in veteran homelessness and prevention of chronic homelessness. Method: A pre-and post-test design was used to determine levels of knowledge guided by Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956). The study focused on 11 respondents who were social workers in various roles including case managers to determine their aptitude in identifying the signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. All data was reviewed and hand-coded for analysis. Results: On the basis of the analysis, the post-test indicated that after training using a guide developed by Dr. Charles Lawrence, a veteran services counselor, key findings revealed an increase in knowledge of social workers in identifying the signs and symptoms of PTSD. Conclusion: The results of the research supported the literature on how or why training is important for personnel who assist veterans. Application: Increased knowledge is critical in helping social workers develop an individualized service plan for veterans that are based on accurate psycho-social attributes and thus are more effective.