Intervención ecosistémica del Síndrome del Estrés Traumático Secundario en los equipos técnicos de las juntas cantonales de protección de derechos de la provincia de Imbabura.

Abstract

This applied research work aims to make visible, identifiable, and measurable the impact suffered by the technical teams of the cantonal boards for the protection of rights due to the work they do with victims of violence, abuse, and/or neglect. This occurs due to ignorance and a lack of awareness of the complexity involved in the role of this professional. While professionalism and objectivity are important, so is prior preparation. It is essential to recognize the existence of Secondary Traumatization Syndrome, which may appear in isolation or combine with symptoms of Burnout Syndrome or Empathy Fatigue, potentially affecting emotional, behavioral, and cognitive spheres, both from an individual perspective and from a team perspective. This represents a paradigm shift and a redefinition of professionals as high-risk workers. Traumatized teams display dysfunctionality and dissociation, which negatively affects the work they do with their users, thereby exacerbating conflicts at the individual or team level. If not recognized, this accumulated stress can lead to illness. The study is a mixed-methods exploratory descriptive approach. Quantitative methods were employed for data collection and analysis. The study design is crosssectional, non-experimental. The sample consisted of the technical teams from the cantonal boards for the protection of rights in the six cantons of the Imbabura province (Ibarra, Pimampiro, Urcuquí, Antonio Ante, Cotacachi, and Otavalo), with 21 participants. Self-report instruments were used, including the Secondary Traumatic Stress Questionnaire, adapted to this population. The results showed that the adapted instrument is reliable, with good internal consistency, as well as dysfunctional manifestations of the secondary traumatic stress process. A proposal for an Ecosystemic Intervention Guide for Secondary Traumatic Stress Syndrome in the technical teams of the Cantonal Boards for the Protection of Rights is presented, aiming to prevent or reverse this impact and avoid losing professionals who have developed expertise in protecting and restoring the rights of individuals and priority groups through administrative means.