ABSTRACT:
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.
Purchase full HTML article at: http://goo.gl/Lu8vL4
Full PDF article at: http://goo.gl/7BmLyA
By: Raunick CB1, Lindell DF, Morris DL, Backman T.
1Author Affiliations: 1St. Vincent Carmel Women's
Center, Case Western Reserve University; and 2Case Western Reserve University.
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv_insight
No comments:
Post a Comment