Levels Of Vicarious Trauma Research Articles

Vicarious trauma: Strategies for legal practice and law schools

We examine the effect of vicarious trauma on various stakeholders in the legal profession. Criminal lawyers are likely to experience higher levels of vicarious trauma than other lawyers. Additionally, lawyers are at a heightened risk of vicarious trauma compared to other helping professionals such as mental health workers. We identify a range of strategies that can be implemented at an organisational or individual level to address vicarious trauma. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of vicarious trauma strategies and initiatives. Importantly, we argue that vicarious trauma initiatives should begin in first-year law courses and continue over a career.

Association of Social Media Use With Mental Health Conditions of Nonpatients During the COVID-19 Outbreak: Insights from a National Survey Study.

BackgroundConsiderable research has been devoted to examining the mental health conditions of patients with COVID-19 and medical staff attending to these patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are few insights concerning how the pandemic may take a toll on the mental health of the general population, and especially of nonpatients (ie, individuals who have not contracted COVID-19).ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the association between social media use and mental health conditions in the general population based on a national representative sample during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in China.MethodsWe formed a national representative sample (N=2185) comprising participants from 30 provinces across China, who were the first to experience the COVID-19 outbreak in the world. We administered a web-based survey to these participants to analyze social media use, health information support received via social media, and possible psychiatric disorders, including secondary traumatic stress (STS) and vicarious trauma (VT).ResultsSocial media use did not cause mental health issues, but it mediated the levels of traumatic emotions among nonpatients. Participants received health information support via social media, but excessive social media use led to elevated levels of stress (β=.175; P<.001), anxiety (β=.224; P<.001), depression (β=.201; P<.001), STS (β=.307; P<.001), and VT (β=.688; P<.001). Geographic location (or geolocation) and lockdown conditions also contributed to more instances of traumatic disorders. Participants living in big cities were more stressed than those living in rural areas (P=.02). Furthermore, participants from small cities or towns were more anxious (P=.01), stressed (P<.001), and depressed (P=.008) than those from rural areas. Obtaining more informational support (β=.165; P<.001) and emotional support (β=.144; P<.001) via social media increased their VT levels. Peer support received via social media increased both VT (β=.332; P<.001) and STS (β=.130; P<.001) levels. Moreover, geolocation moderated the relationships between emotional support on social media and VT (F2=3.549; P=.029) and the association between peer support and STS (F2=5.059; P=.006). Geolocation also interacted with health information support in predicting STS (F2=5.093; P=.006).ConclusionsCOVID-19 has taken a severe toll on the mental health of the general population, including individuals who have no history of psychiatric disorders or coronavirus infection. This study contributes to the literature by establishing the association between social media use and psychiatric disorders among the general public during the COVID-19 outbreak. The study findings suggest that the causes of such psychiatric disorders are complex and multifactorial, and social media use is a potential factor. The findings also highlight the experiences of people in China and can help global citizens and health policymakers to mitigate the effects of psychiatric disorders during this and other public health crises, which should be regarded as a key component of a global pandemic response.

The Impact of Caseload and Tenure on the Development of Vicarious Trauma in Australian Corrective Services Employees

Exposure to traumatic events is a job hazard explicit to corrective services employees, including psychologists and counsellors, and various personal and organisational factors when working with offenders have been attributed to an increase in workplace stress and vicarious trauma (VT). The impact of caseload and tenure on the development of VT in corrective services has been investigated in numerous international studies, however research in Australian corrective services is limited. This study aims to address this gap in the literature by exploring these relationships amongst custodial and non-custodial corrective services employees. The study investigated: (1) the relationship between caseload and increased VT; (2) the likelihood of a longer tenure decreasing the risk of VT; and, (3) whether non-custodial/therapeutic corrective services employees are more likely to develop greater levels of VT than custodial corrective services employees. Greater caseload and longer tenure both predicted increased rates of VT and non-custodial staff were likely to exhibit higher rates of VT than custodial staff. Future research is discussed to guide effective preventative and intervention practices in the corrective services and mental health industries.

Vicarious Traumatization among Professional Caregivers and Support Staff in Selected Hospices in Kenya

Hospice workers are constantly exposed to the trauma experienced by the clients they interact with daily in their work settings. The purpose of the current study was to determine the prevalence of vicarious trauma (VT) among the hospice caregivers in selected hospices in Kenya. A tool adapted from Vicarious Trauma Scale was utilized to assess prevalence and levels of vicarious trauma among the participants. A brief questionnaire was also was used to obtain demographic information of the participants. A total of 70 male and female staff in the various occupations and positions within the hospices were included in the study. Data was then analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study findings revealed a VT prevalence rate of 67% among hospice workers. The findings showed that vicarious trauma is a real threat to care givers working in hospices. The study recommended that there is need to educate caregivers about the existence and possible risk factors of vicarious trauma. These findings offer valuable information for developing staff competencies in the workplace and ensure appropriate intervention as well as practitioner support programs.

Secondary distress in violence researchers: a randomised trial of the effectiveness of group debriefings

BackgroundSecondary distress including emotional distress, vicarious trauma (VT) and secondary traumatic stress (STS) due to exposure to primary trauma victims have been described in helping professionals and in violence researchers. To our knowledge, there are few prevalence studies, and no tailored interventions have been tested to reduce secondary distress in violence researchers. The study aims to (1) describe the epidemiology of secondary distress experienced by violence researchers; to (2) assess the effectiveness of group debriefings in mitigating secondary distress; to (3) assess risk and protective factors.MethodsWe conducted an un-blinded, individually randomised trial with parallel assignment. Eligible participants were 59 Ugandan researchers employed by the Good Schools Study to interview children who experienced violence in a district of Uganda. Fifty-three researchers agreed to participate and were randomly allocated. The intervention group (n = 26) participated in three group debriefings and the control group (n = 27) in three leisure sessions (film viewings). The primary outcome was change in levels of emotional distress (SRQ-20); secondary outcomes were levels of VT and STS at end-line. A paired t-test assessed the difference in mean baseline and end-line emotional distress. Un-paired t-tests compared the change in mean emotional distress (baseline vs. end-line), and compared levels of VT and STS at end-line. Separate logistic regression models tested the association between end-line emotional distress and a-priori risk or protective factors.ResultsBaseline and end-line levels of emotional distress were similar in control (p = 0.47) and intervention (p = 0.59) groups. The superiority of group debriefing over leisure activities in lowering levels of emotional distress in the intervention group (n = 26; difference in SRQ-20 = 0.23 [SD = 2.18]) compared to the control group (n = 26; difference in SRQ-20 = 0.23 [SD = 1.63]) could not be detected (p = 1). In regression analysis (n = 48), baseline distress increased the odds of end-line distress (OR = 16.1, 95%CI 2.82 to 92.7, p = 0.002). Perceived organisational support (OR = 0.09, 95%CI 0.01 to 0.69, p = 0.02) and belief in God (OR = 0.21, 95%CI 0.03 to 1.26, p = 09) was protective against end-line distress.ConclusionWe found no evidence that violence researchers experienced elevated emotional distress after doing violence research. There was no difference between group debriefings and leisure activities in reducing distress in our sample. However, the hypotheses presented should not be ruled out in other violence research settings. Our findings suggest that organisational support is a significant protective factor and belief in God may be an important coping mechanism.Trial registrationClinical Trials NCT02390778. Retrospectively registered 19 March 2015. The Good Schools Trial was registered at (NCT01678846), on August 24, 2012.

Vicarious Trauma Among Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners.

Vicarious trauma (VT), the phenomenon of changes in cognition and worldview that result from empathic response and repeated exposure to narratives of trauma, is a risk for helping professionals. This descriptive, correlational study sought to examine levels of VT among sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) as compared with other women's health nurses. It also explored whether levels of VT are different for nurses who have experienced primary trauma alone, VT alone, or both personal trauma and VT. VT was assessed through an anonymous online survey using the nurses' total scores on the Trauma and Attachment Belief Scale. Trauma and Attachment Belief Scale scores were significantly higher for SANEs (M = 178.5, SD = 42.6) than for women's health nurses (M = 168.1, SD = 41.4; p = 0.025), indicating higher levels of trauma-related cognitive disruption in the SANE group. Scores were also significantly higher for both groups with personal trauma histories at the p < 0.05 level compared with the women's health nurses with no personal history. SANEs who had no personal history of trauma did not differ significantly from either group of nurses who did, suggesting that VT from working as an SANE is associated with levels of cognitive disruption similar to oneself having experienced trauma. Nurses should be aware of this phenomenon and its sequelae when choosing to pursue the specialty of sexual assault nursing. Hospitals and other organizations employing SANEs should also be aware of VT and provide a support system with resources in place to mitigate these effects. Future research should further explore effects of primary trauma versus VT, clinical manifestations and significance of varying levels of VT, and interventions and strategies for dealing with VT.

Working with sex offenders: the impact on Australian treatment providers

This paper reports on an exploratory study of compassion fatigue, burnout, compassion satisfaction, and vicarious traumatization amongst sex offender treatment providers in Australia. The research uses a nationwide sample of treatment providers from correctional settings and quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the impact of working compassionately with sex offenders. In addition to assessing levels of negative psychological affect, the study also considers the influence of demographic and work-related variables and explores the coping strategies used and the role of collegial support in mediating any negative effects. Contrary to previous research within this field, the quantitative analysis determined low levels of vicarious trauma, and low to moderate levels of compassion fatigue and burnout amongst the sample. In addition, over 85% of the sample reported moderate to high levels of compassion satisfaction, indicating that they derived pleasure from their work. The work-related factors of environmental safety and role problems were found to significantly predict the compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue variables respectively, indicating the influence of organizational factors on psychological wellbeing. The qualitative analysis, however, revealed shifts in the cognitive schemas of the sample to accommodate the traumatic material to which they are exposed. Given that such shifts were observed but negative psychological impact was not, future research could usefully draw on the psychological resilience literature in an investigation of the qualities which protect treatment providers from negative psychological consequences.