Supervisor Emotional Maturity, Psychological Safety, and Traumatic Stress in College Student Affairs

• In Event: Understanding Diversity, Resistance, and Change in Faculty and Staff Experiences

Abstract

COVID-19 placed an immense amount of stress on student affairs professionals, who were exposed to numerous potentially traumatic events as a result of changing workplace environments, health/safety risks, and emotional support of students. This study explored the impact of supervisor emotional maturity on supervisee trauma exposure response through the mediating effect of psychological safety for student affairs professionals employed at 4-year institutions. Results indicated that supervisees who felt their supervisors were more emotionally mature felt more psychologically safe, and that this psychological safety predicted lower adverse reactions to both indirect and direct traumatic workplace events. Implications for training and development of student affairs supervisors are explored, as well as for further research into the interrelation of emotional maturity and supervision.

Authors

• Robert Jason Lynch, Appalachian State University
  Presenting Author

• Chelsea Gilbert, The Ohio State University
  Presenting Author