King's College London, London, UK.
J Interpers Violence. 2024 Mar;39(5-6):1327-1350. doi: 10.1177/08862605231207617. Epub 2023 Oct 24.
Secondary trauma arises through indirect exposure to trauma through engaging with first-hand accounts and narratives of traumatic events. While a significant amount of research has explored secondary trauma experienced by professionals who work with survivors of trauma, such as clinicians and front-line service providers, there is little research exploring the experiences of secondary trauma among violence researchers who routinely engage with traumatic first-hand accounts through their work. This study qualitatively explored violence researcher's professional experiences of secondary trauma and their perceptions of what enables and constrains their own coping and resilience. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online with seven female violence researchers from the United Kingdom. Questions explored participant's experiences of secondary trauma symptoms related to their research, perceptions of their own coping and resilience, and experiences of organizational support that have enabled or constrained their resilience. Data were analyzed thematically using a coding framework applied reflexively across interview transcripts. All participants reported experiencing symptoms of secondary trauma from their work including cognitive disturbances; altered beliefs of themselves, others or the world; and challenges connecting with others. Participants' assessment of their own expertise in violence research did not generally impact their perception of their own resilience. Organizational support for violence researchers was rarely provided and participants felt generally unsupported-left to manage any resultant distress alone. Research organizations and universities should implement trauma-informed policies which positively transform workplace culture, provide peer support spaces, and conduct effective training in order to mitigate psychological harm and promote resilience among violence researchers. Support should be tailored to the requirements of violence researchers, and institutions should develop policies that are specifically attentive to the needs of researchers who also have lived experience of violence and abuse.
次生创伤是通过间接接触创伤，参与创伤事件的第一手描述和叙述而产生的。虽然有大量研究探讨了与创伤幸存者合作的专业人员（如临床医生和一线服务提供者）经历的次生创伤，但很少有研究探讨经常通过工作接触创伤第一手描述的暴力研究人员经历的次生创伤。本研究定性探讨了暴力研究人员的次生创伤专业经历，以及他们对促进和限制自身应对和适应能力的因素的看法。参与者通过目的性抽样方法招募。对来自英国的 7 名女性暴力研究人员进行了在线半结构化访谈。问题探讨了参与者与研究相关的次生创伤症状的经历、对自身应对和适应能力的看法，以及组织支持对他们的适应能力的促进或限制的经历。使用适用于访谈记录的编码框架对数据进行主题分析，并进行了反思性应用。所有参与者都报告了工作中出现的次生创伤症状，包括认知障碍；改变对自己、他人或世界的看法；以及与他人联系的困难。参与者对自己在暴力研究方面的专业知识的评估通常不会影响他们对自己适应能力的看法。对暴力研究人员的组织支持很少提供，参与者普遍感到无人支持——只能独自应对由此产生的困扰。研究机构和大学应实施以创伤为中心的政策，积极改变工作场所文化，提供同行支持空间，并进行有效的培训，以减轻暴力研究人员的心理伤害，促进他们的适应能力。支持应根据暴力研究人员的需求进行定制，机构应制定专门关注那些既有暴力和虐待经历又有研究需求的研究人员的政策。
