Examining the mediatory role of metacognitive beliefs in the relationship between personal traumatic experience and secondary traumatic stress symptoms and existential anxiety and ontological well-being

The aim of this research is to determine the variables related to secondary traumatic stress and traumatic experience and to see the mediating effect of metacognitive beliefs on these relationships. For this purpose, the relationships between teachers' Personal Traumatic Experience and Secondary Traumatic Stress Symptoms and their Existential Anxiety and Ontological Well-Being levels; The relationships between Personal Traumatic Experience and Secondary Traumatic Stress Symptoms and the mediating effect of Metacognitive Beliefs on these relationships were examined. The study group of the research consists of 608 teachers working in four central districts of Adana. Personal Information Form, Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, Metacognition Scale-3, Existential Anxiety Scale, Life Project Scale and Life Events Checklist were applied to the teachers participating in the research. The data were analyzed by performing mediation modeling with the bootstrap approach using the hayes process macro in the R programming environment. According to the data obtained from the research, metacognitive beliefs do not have a mediating role between traumatic experience and ontological well-being and existential anxiety; metacognitive beliefs have a mediating role in the relationships between secondary traumatic stress and ontological well-being (except for involuntary influences and regret) and existential anxiety (except for involuntary influences and avoidance and meaninglessness anxiety); there is no significant relationship between traumatic experience and secondary traumatic stress, ontological well-being and existential anxiety; it was concluded that there was a negative significant relationship between secondary traumatic stress and ontological well-being, and a positive significant relationship between existential anxiety (except for the relationship between involuntary influences and meaninglessness anxiety). It is thought that studies aimed at increasing teachers' awareness and knowledge about trauma, carrying out protective studies against negative situations that may occur after trauma, developing psychoeducational programs for coping, increasing the level of ontological well-being with positive metacognitive beliefs and reducing the level of existential anxiety will be strengthening against secondary trauma.