Program
K-12 Administration Ed.D.
Number of Pages
173
Year Approved
2025
First Advisor
Judith Nagel
Second Reader
Erin Lavery
Third Reader
Sandra Pettingell
Abstract
This study explored the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and professional quality of life among Minnesota special education teachers, focusing on compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Participants included special education teachers who provided special education services to students in kindergarten through transition programs, held Tier 3 or Tier 4 teaching licenses, and had taught for at least 1 school year during the 2022-23, 2023-24, or 2024-25 academic years. A total of 1,025 teachers completed an online survey distributed via Qualtrics, which included the Adverse Childhood Experience Questionnaire and the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL5). Descriptive statistics revealed an average Compassion Satisfaction score of 38.9 (SD = 5.4), an average Burnout score of 25.7 (SD = 5.5), and an average Secondary Traumatic Stress score of 24.9 (SD = 6.1). The average ACE score was 1.9 (SD = 2.2). ACE risk levels were categorized as low (33.8% with an ACE score of 0), medium (46.0% with scores of 1-3), and high (20.2% with scores of 4 or more). While ACEs were not significantly correlated with compassion satisfaction, higher ACE scores were significantly linked to higher burnout and secondary traumatic stress levels. The results suggest that ACEs may negatively impact special education teachers' emotional well-being and professional quality of life. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing the impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences on teachers, while also leveraging compassion satisfaction, to mitigate the risk of burnout and secondary traumatic stress among special education teachers in Minnesota.
Degree Name
Education Doctorate
Document Type
Doctoral dissertation
Recommended Citation
Rehmke, J. (2025). The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Professional Quality of Life: Assessing Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction in Minnesota Teachers [Doctoral dissertation, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/1147
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