What is known about the secondary traumatization of staff working with offending populations? A review of the literature.

Abstract

Being secondarily exposed to trauma through working with traumatized clients can be challenging for professionals, sometimes leading to them developing secondary traumatic stress (STS) and/or vicarious trauma (VT). Experiences of VT and STS have primarily been researched in relation to staff working with trauma survivors. Perpetrators of offenses have also often experienced traumatic events in their lives and may be traumatized by the offense they have committed. This review aims to summarize what is known about the prevalence and development of VT and STS in populations of any staff working with adult offenders. Relevant literature was identified by searching appropriate databases, and hand searching was conducted to identify any gray literature or omitted articles. A total of 11 studies were identified, critically reviewed, and synthesized. All of these studies found VT or STS to be present within their samples. Staff were largely categorized as being at low-to-moderate risk for STS. No studies attempted to clarify the level of VT within their sample. Factors associated with VT and STS are discussed. This literature base was challenging to synthesize owing to a lack of conceptual clarity and methodological issues within the included studies. The findings suggest that staff working with offending populations do experience VT and STS and that support could be improved to assist in mitigating the effects. Keywords: vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, offenders, staff