Date
9-17-2026
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Brandon Simmons
Keywords
child maltreatment, educator well-being, mandated reporting, secondary traumatic stress, trust in child welfare system
Disciplines
Counseling | Education
Recommended Citation
Gregory, Kristina L., "Mandated Reporting Experiences and Professional Quality of Life among Missouri K-12 Mandated Reporters" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8966.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8966
Abstract
Child maltreatment is associated with significant developmental, psychological, and behavioral consequences for children. Educators often serve as frontline identifiers of suspected abuse and neglect and are legally required to report concerns to the state’s child welfare agency. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational study was to examine relationships among mandated reporting exposure, perceived reporting ambiguity, trust in Missouri’s Children’s Division, and professional quality of life among Missouri K–12 school-based mandated reporters. Professional quality of life was measured through compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. This study brings these factors together to better understand how educators’ reporting experiences and trust in the child welfare system relate to their professional well-being. Data were collected through an anonymous online survey completed by 212 eligible participants and analyzed using Pearson correlations, hierarchical multiple regression, and PROCESS Model 1 moderation analyses. Findings showed that reporting ambiguity and trust in Children’s Division significantly predicted secondary traumatic stress. Career reporting exposure was related to secondary traumatic stress only in bivariate correlations, and the mandated reporting variables were less consistently related to burnout and compassion satisfaction. Trust did not moderate the relationships between mandated reporting variables and professional quality of life outcomes. Findings suggest that mandated reporting experiences may be most closely connected to secondary traumatic stress and may inform training, consultation, and cross-system communication practices that support educator well-being and child safety.
