Nurses, Indirect Trauma, and Prevention
- 1 March 1998
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Wiley in Image: the Journal of Nursing Scholarship
- Vol. 30 (1), 85-87
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1547-5069.1998.tb01242.x
Abstract
Purpose: To begin examining the nature of vicarious or indirect trauma and to discuss risk factors and prevention strategies. Despite the fact that many nurses are traumatized indirectly, few recognize the insidious development of such trauma. The dynamics of indirect trauma are relevant to nursing as are risk factors and prevention strategies. Scope: Brief review of the literature (1974–1997) on vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic countertransference using short vignettes for illustration. Conclusion: Nurses who are informed about vicarious trauma and who actively maintain a balanced personal and professional life are in the best position to bring themselves and their clients through the many hazards of trauma work. The implications of vicarious or indirect trauma for nurses and clients are serious and complex requiring thoughtful analysis and research to clarify its effects.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- Vicarious Trauma: The Effects on Female Counselors of Working with Sexual Violence SurvivorsPsychology of Women Quarterly, 1995
- Vicarious traumatization: A framework for understanding the psychological effects of working with victimsJournal of Traumatic Stress, 1990