The impact of trauma work on trauma workers: A metasynthesis on vicarious trauma and vicarious posttraumatic growth
Date
2013
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Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
Abstract
The current work examines the impact on trauma workers of working with people who have
been traumatised within the framework of both vicarious trauma (VT) and various posttraumatic
growth (VPTG) by using a meta-synthesis of findings from 20 published qualitative papers. The
synthesis found that the impact of trauma work can potentially increase short and long term levels
of distress and that such psychological impact can be managed through personal and organisational
coping strategies. It was also found that trauma work leads to changes in schemas and day-to-day
routines and that these changes can be both negative and positive. Such changes correspond to both
VT and VPTG, but for VPTG to occur, trauma workers will need to be exposed to the client’s own
growth.
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Keywords
vicarious trauma, meta-analysis
Citation
Cohen, K., & Collens, P. (2013). The impact of trauma work on trauma workers: A metasynthesis on vicarious trauma and vicarious posttraumatic growth. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 5(6), 570.