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Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy
2025. Vol. 33, no. 4, 76–95
doi:10.17759/cpp.2025330404
ISSN: 2075-3470 / 2311-9446 (online)

Validation of the Russian version of the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale on a sample of professionals providing support to children with special educational needs and disabilities and their families

 
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Abstract

Context and Relevance. One of the most widely used instruments for assessing secondary traumatic stress (STS) is the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS). This 17-item questionnaire has demonstrated strong reliability and construct validity across international studies, with consistently high internal consistency and robust psychometric performance. The present study evaluates the psychometric properties of the Russian-language adaptation of the STSS. The primary hypothesis is that the factor structure of the Russian version aligns with the original model, and that the instrument exhibits strong reliability and validity within a Russian-speaking sample. Methods and Materials. The sample included 2,382 participants: 2,284 women (95,9%) and 98 men (4,1%), aged 19 to 79 years (M = 46,1, SD = 11,8, Me = 47). Respondents completed the Russian version of the STSS alongside a battery of validated measures: the PCL-5 (PTSD symptoms), MBI (emotional burnout), PHQ-9 (depressive symptoms), GAD-7 (anxiety symptoms), and PSS-10 (perceived stress). Results. Psychometric analysis revealed excellent internal consistency for the Russian STSS. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a bifactor structure, confirming its factorial validity. Strong positive correlations were observed between STSS scores and measures of PTSD, depression, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, and perceived stress, providing robust evidence for convergent validity. Conclusions. The sample is highly representative of helping professionals, making it well-suited for research on secondary traumatic stress. The Russian STSS demonstrates a stable bifactor model, confirmed through rigorous factor analysis, and exhibits high reliability and validity. Findings support the adapted scale as a psychometrically sound tool for assessing secondary traumatic stress in Russian-speaking populations.

General Information

Keywords: STSS, secondary traumatic stress, helping professions, education, factor structure, statistics, psychometric properties, demographic characteristics

Journal rubric: Testing and Validating Instruments

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/cpp.2025330404

Received 08.09.2025

Revised 01.12.2025

Accepted

Published

For citation: Kazennaya, E.V., Zolotareva, A.A., Ulianova, A.S., Lebedeva, N.A., Karpova, D.A. (2025). Validation of the Russian version of the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale on a sample of professionals providing support to children with special educational needs and disabilities and their families. Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy, 33(4), 76–95. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/cpp.2025330404

© Kazennaya E.V., Zolotareva A.A., Ulianova A.S., Lebedeva N.A., Karpova D.A., 2025

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Elena V. Kazennaya, Associate Professor, School of Psychology, HSE University, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8506-1552, e-mail: kazennayahelen@gmail.com

Alyona A. Zolotareva, Candidate of Science (Psychology), Associate Professor, School of Psychology, HSE University, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5724-2882, e-mail: alena.a.zolotareva@gmail.com

Anna S. Ulianova, Bachelor, Department of Psychological Anthropology, Institute of Childhood, Moscow Pedagogical State University, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4417-446X, e-mail: uly4nova4nn@gmail.com

Natalia A. Lebedeva, independent researcher, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8727-8774, e-mail: nattalea@mail.ru

Darya A. Karpova, Deputy Director for Experimental Activities and Continuing Education, Federal State Budget Scientific Institution «Institute of Special Education», Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3247-6188, e-mail: karpova@ikp.email

Contribution of the authors

Elena V. Kazennaya — ideas; annotation, writing and design of the manuscript; planning of the research; control over the research, application of statistical, mathematical or other methods for data analysis; conducting the experiment; data collection and analysis; visualization of research results.

Alena A. Zolotareva — planning of the research; editing the manuscript.

Anna C. Ulyanova — ideas; planning of the research.

Natalia A. Lebedeva — planning of the research; data collection.

Darya A. Karpova — data collection.

All authors participated in the discussion of the results and approved the final text of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics statement

The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. All participants provided informed consent prior to their involvement in the research.

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