Black mothers' ethnic-racial socialization one year after highly publicized anti-Black murders during the pandemic.

Although research on ethnic-racial socialization is well established, limited studies have examined the influence of specific, highly publicized anti-Black murders. We assessed Black mothers' (N = 12, mean age = 37.45) concerns and ethnic-racial socialization with adolescents aged 11-18 years old approximately 1 year following the murders of George Floyd and other unarmed Black people. Researchers generated the following themes using reflexive thematic analysis: protecting adolescents from physical harm; protecting adolescents from psychological harm; parents' emotional distress; and parents' lack of confidence in their ethnic-racial socialization practices. Black mothers exhibit exceptional amounts of strength and courage as they navigate pervasive physical and psychological threats to their adolescents while experiencing worry and low confidence in their ability to socialize their adolescents about anti-Black racism.

Vicarious trauma in nursing: A hybrid concept analysis.

BACKGROUND: Vicarious trauma can significantly affect the physical and mental health of nurses, as well as their ability to provide quality of care. However, the concept of vicarious trauma has received limited attention and remains controversial in the nursing context. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to clarify and define the concept of vicarious trauma as it pertains to the nursing context. METHODS: The Schwartz and Kim's three-stage hybrid concept analysis method was used to define the concept. In the theoretical phase, PubMed, CINAHL, OVID, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, PsycINFO, CNKI database, VIP database and Wanfang database were used using keywords "nurs*"and "vicarious trauma*", resulting in a total of 25 papers. In the fieldwork phase, we conducted participatory observations in three hospitals and semi-structured in-depth interviews with 18 clinical nurses from seven cities. In the analysis phase, the results of the previous two phases were integrated to develop a comprehensive concept of vicarious trauma in nursing. RESULTS: Based on the results of the theoretical and field phases, we propose the concept of vicarious trauma in nursing as follows: vicarious trauma is a psychological trauma impacting nurses' cognitive schema which they may experience in clinical settings or on social media, resulting from deeply empathize with the physical or emotional trauma of patients, family, or colleagues, such as patients' physical injuries or death, family's grieving feelings and colleagues' received threats and attacks. Positively, vicarious trauma can transform into vicarious post-trauma growth through repositioning and connection, nourishing nurses and promoting their personal and professional development. CONCLUSION: The concept of vicarious trauma in nursing is multidimensional and holistic. This study clarifies the concept of vicarious trauma in nursing using the hybrid concept analysis, providing a framework for future research and practice on vicarious trauma in the nursing field. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Nurses contributed to the conduct of the study by participating in the data collection via interviews.

An integrative review of strategies to prevent and treat compassion fatigue in oncology nurses.

Compassion fatigue is understood as the combination of secondary traumatic stress and cumulative burnout caused by reduced ability to cope with one's environment. As such, compassion fatigue can be a significant workplace hazard for nurses in oncology. Findings from this integrative review reveal a lack of awareness and understanding of compassion fatigue among oncology nurses even if this group has been identified as high risk for experiencing compassion fatigue. Strategies such as self-care, mindfulness, and resiliency-based interventions to cope with compassion fatigue are reviewed herein along with related effectiveness. Some studies underscore that prevention-focused rather than treatment-focused interventions for compassion fatigue may be more effective. The responsibility for promoting and protecting oncology nurses' well-being is essential and must be spearheaded by organizations, administration, educational institutions, care teams, and individual nurses.

Vicarious trauma among legal practitioners and judicial officers.

The term 'vicarious trauma' refers to a range of cumulative and harmful effects from exposure to the trauma of others and is now recognised as a category of causation in the diagnostic criteria of post-traumatic stress disorder. Legal practitioners may be exposed to the risk of harm from vicarious trauma in a number of occupational contexts. This article reviews recent case authority, including a 2023 prosecution of Court Services Victoria for failing to provide a safe workplace in the Coroners Court of Victoria and the High Court decision in Kozarov v Victoria (2022) and the Victoria Court of Appeal decision in Bersee v Victoria (2022). It considers measures that should be taken to provide a workplace for both legal practitioners and judicial officers that is as safe and without risks to health as is reasonably practicable.

Vicarious trauma in the judicial workplace: state liability for judicial psychiatric injury in Australia.

There is developing, yet strong, evidence that judicial officers are seriously affected by exposure to traumatic material. The risk and prevalence of psychiatric injury to judges is now increasingly recognised. In the light of growing recognition by the High Court of Australia of the likelihood of psychiatric harm arising in people whose work exposes them to traumatic material in Kozarov v Victoria ('Kozarov'), we investigate through legal analysis the possibility that judicial officers may be entitled to compensation for such harm. This might seem straightforward after the High Court decided in Kozarov that the State was liable in negligence for trauma-related psychiatric injury to an employee lawyer caused in the court-related work environment. We argue in this article that, while there are strong arguments which support liability in negligence for judicial officers as non-employees, nevertheless such claims will be complex and will face a range of hurdles and barriers including those arising from judicial independence and judicial immunity.

What would a trauma-informed workplace ideally look like in legal aid? A qualitative perspective from lawyers.

Lawyers experience disproportionately high levels of poor mental health outcomes compared to other professions. This persistent problem can be explained, at least in part, by the fact that current initiatives are not adequately addressing the impact of trauma (from clients and lawyers). The legal profession is yet to embrace trauma-informed practice in the same way other human services have. In this qualitative study, 6 lawyers from Legal Aid describe what trauma-informed practice would ideally look like in their workplace. Many of the recommendations made by the participants such as training for staff, reduction in workloads, mental health leave, supervision, reflective practice, and debriefing are echoed in the literature. However, participants added valuable details about what service provision for clients, and the role of managers in bringing about change. The study provides employers with practical strategies to implement trauma-informed practice and manage the impact of trauma on their lawyers.

Integrating Gender-Based Violence Screening and Support into the Research Clinic Setting: Experiences from an HIV Prevention Open-Label Extension Trial in Sub-Saharan Africa.

HIV and gender-based violence (GBV) are syndemic in sub-Saharan Africa and provision of support for participants who disclose GBV constitutes part of comprehensive care. Consequently, a process was undertaken to develop, implement, and evaluate standard operating procedures (SOPs) in MTN-025/HOPE, a study of the dapivirine vaginal ring for HIV prevention. The SOP was developed using needs assessment surveys in addition to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and other literature. Sites tailored and implemented the SOP through HOPE implementation. At study end, staff reported increased training 32/35 (91.43%); improved confidence (18/26; 69.23%); and improved vicarious trauma prevention onsite (17/28; 60.71%). Leadership reported increased staff competence in GBV response. Obstacles included limited referral organizations and time for follow-up, continued training needs, and cultural norms. Development and implementation of an SOP is a feasible strategy to build a GBV response to improve health systems and support sustained effective use of HIV prevention products.

'Staying strong': A constructivist grounded theory of how registered nurses deal with the impact of trauma-related events in rural acute care practice.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study explored how Registered Nurses (RNs) in rural practice deal with psychologically traumatic events when living and working in the same rural community over time. BACKGROUND: Rural RNs who are exposed to trauma may be at high risk for psychological distress (e.g. secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder), in the context of isolated practice and slower emergency response times. DESIGN AND METHODS: Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory methodology was chosen for this qualitative study. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 19 RNs from six rural acute care hospitals. A total of 33 interviews were conducted with 19 face-to-face initial interviews, 14 follow-up telephone interviews and 14 reflective journals. Adherence to the COREQ EQUATOR guidelines was maintained. RESULTS: Participants were exposed to a multitude of trauma-related events, with their main concern of being intertwined with events for life. They dealt with this by staying strong, which included relying upon others, seeking inner strength, attempting to leave the past behind and experiencing transformational change over time. Being embedded in the community left them linked with these trauma-related events for life. Staying strong was a crucial element to their ability to cope and to face future events. CONCLUSIONS: The psychological implications of trauma-related events when working and living in rural acute care practice settings are significant and complex. Findings highlight the need for organizational support and processes and may contribute to improved psychological services and management practices. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Key learnings were that rural nurses, who live and work in the same community, experience psychological changes over time from traumatic events that stay with them for life; employers fail to recognise the seriousness of this issue and trauma-informed policies with associated resources are lacking.

Factors preceding occupational distress in emergency nurses: An integrative review.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This integrative review aimed to synthesise current evidence on the factors that precede and contribute to the occupational distress of emergency nurses. BACKGROUND: Emergency nurses practice within an environment challenged by demand exceeding capacity, an inability of staffing to meet this demand in addition to limited resources which contribute to form a unique risk to clinician and patient safety. The risk of occupational distress, while demonstrated across specialties, is noted to be highest in emergency nurses with subsequent impacts for clinicians, organisations and patients being explored. While previous studies have examined singular outcomes or elements, a comprehensive review that considers the factors and components of the overarching occupational distress is not evident in the current published literature. DESIGN: Whittemore and Knafl's integrative review methodology enabled a structured format for synthesis and analysis of literature. METHODS: A review of CINAHL, MEDLINE, Psych INFO, Embase, Australian Digital Thesis Network, University Microfilm International and Google Scholar between 2014 and 2021 was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. Search terms explored the contributions of compassion fatigue, burnout, acute and post-traumatic stress disorder, and secondary traumatic stress/vicarious trauma to occupational distress. This search resulted in sixteen publications included for synthesis. RESULTS: Literature for inclusion was identified as quantitative (seven), qualitative (six) and mixed-methods (three) studies. Factors identified as contributing to the development of occupational distress arise from the characteristics and situations of individual nurses, local organisational governance and the inherent nature of the emergency nurse role. Consequentially, there are negative impacts on patients, clinicians and healthcare organisations. CONCLUSION: Emergency nurses experience exposure to several unique factors contributing to occupational distress which may originate from individual, organisational, occupational sources or a combination of these. Future research and strategies to address these factors could strengthen clinicians and organisations in the delivery of safe, holistic, high-quality nursing care. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Emergency nurses practice in unique and challenging environments which place them at higher risk of occupational distress with subsequent negative impacts for the clinician, healthcare organisation and patients. Through the investigation and development of strategies such as the facilitation of knowledge of patient disposition, emergency nurses may experience an increase in their well-being, retention, job satisfaction and resiliency.

The roles of vicarious trauma exposure and perceived social support in codeine syrup misuse among Black men living in prisons.

Using General Strain Theory, this study investigates the effects of vicarious trauma exposure and perceived social support on nonmedical codeine syrup misuse among Black incarcerated men nearing community re-entry. Data were drawn from the Helping Incarcerated Men project, a study examining mental health, substance misuse, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviors among Black men living in prisons who were within 180 days of release. A total of 200 Black men self-reported demographics (i.e., age and length of incarceration after age 18), vicarious trauma exposure (e.g., ever witnessing an assault with a weapon and a sudden accidental death), perceived social support, and nonmedical codeine syrup misuse. Findings from the logistic regression analysis showed witnessing an assault with a weapon and a sudden accidental death increased the likelihood of codeine syrup misuse. Perceived social support was not associated with codeine syrup misuse. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

The Duty of Care to Protect Employees against the Risk of Psychiatric Harm from Vicarious Trauma: Kozarov v Victoria.

An employer owes every employee a duty to take all reasonable steps to provide a safe place and system of work. Whether an employer will be liable for psychological harm suffered by an employee will depend on the particular circumstances of the case. In Kozarov v Victoria (2022) 273 CLR 115; [2022] HCA 12 (Kozarov), the High Court considered whether the Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions had been placed on notice of a risk of "vicarious trauma" to a solicitor employed in the Special Sexual Offenders Unit and whether it was required to make a response by taking active steps including offering a rotation to another section where the solicitor did not to have to manage cases of child rape and other sexual offences of gross depravity. The High Court also considered whether by failing to advise her employer of her developing mental illness in a timely way and not accessing the Employee Assistance Program, the solicitor had failed to take reasonable care of her mental health. The article argues that the Kozarov decision is likely to prove a landmark in terms of employers' occupational health and safety responsibilities in respect of exposure to vicarious trauma.

Work Stress, Vicarious Trauma and the Public Mental Health Framework: Kozarov v Victoria [2022] HCA 12 and Its Aftermath.

The Public Mental Health Framework argues that law and policy are important in preventing mental ill-health and promoting wellbeing. Therefore, the 2022 decision of the Australian High Court in Kozarov v Victoria (Kozarov), in which a lawyer from the Office of Public Prosecutions (OPP) who worked in the Specialist Sex Offences Unit successfully claimed damages for vicarious trauma, has significant implications for the legal profession and those who are employed in emotionally demanding work. This article provides commentary on the Kozarov decision, within the context of other Australian case law including subsequent cases. It explores the significance of Kozarov and post-Kozarov authority for the development of (1) the law in "work stress" cases; (2) employers in the wake of the decision, including the OPP; and (3) the Public Mental Health Framework in relation to work stress and sexual violence as social determinants of health and mental health.

[Covid-19 caregivers, psychotraumatized superheroes]. / Soignants de la Covid-19, de super-héros à psychotraumatisés.

The Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on health care teams faced with deaths and hospital overcrowding. Some caregivers suffered from vicarious trauma. Analyzing the impact of this trauma, its inclusion in a context of tension, fatigue and increased lassitude, is imperative in order to propose adjusted care. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy seems to have a relevant place in this context.

Vicarious trauma on the hemodialysis healthcare workers in the besieged Ethiopia's Tigray region: a call to action.

BACKGROUND: The war on Ethiopia's Tigray broke out on November 4, 2020. Amid the armed conflict, governmental institutions were destroyed, people were displaced, and thousands of civilians were killed. The region was experiencing an on-and-off type of blockade since the war broke out until June 28, 2021, at which time the federal government of Ethiopia imposed a siege cutting off the region from the rest of the world. Due to the shortage of medicines and medical supplies, witnessing deaths that otherwise were preventable under normal conditions has become the daily predicament of healthcare workers. The burden of healthcare disintegration is particularly carried by patients with chronic medical illnesses including patients on dialysis. MAIN BODY: Ayder hospital, Tigray's flagship healthcare institution, hosts the only hemodialysis center in the entire region. This center is currently unable to give appropriate care to kidney failure patients for a lack of access to dialysis supplies and consumables due to the ongoing war and siege. This has resulted in vicarious trauma manifested with compassion fatigue, irritability, a feeling of bystander guilt; sadness about the patient's victimization, and hopelessness among healthcare workers caring for dialysis patients. CONCLUSION: The suffering of veteran patients and witnessing preventable deaths have continued to haunt and torment healthcare workers in the dialysis unit leading to vicarious trauma. Cognizant of the fact that vicarious trauma has serious health ramifications on healthcare workers; we call up the international community to advocate for a full resumption of access to healthcare and the provision of mental health support and educate and train healthcare workers dealing with end-stage kidney disease patients on hemodialysis.

Outsourcing Transcription: Extending Ethical Considerations in Qualitative Research.

Research ethics considerations foreground minimising harm to participants. Whilst increasing attention is being paid to researcher vulnerabilities, little has been written about transcriptionists, who can potentially experience emotional distress and vicarious trauma. In this article, we highlight ethical considerations when outsourcing audio for transcription as part of the RE:CURRENT (REcurrent miscarriage: evaluating CURRENT services) Project. Through qualitative interviews, we explored the perspectives of those involved in the management/delivery of services, and women and men who experienced recurrent miscarriage (N = 62). We put distress protocols in place for participants, researchers and the transcriptionist, and adopted a research team approach with the professional transcriber. The transcriptionist highlighted the isolated nature of the role; how researchers often did not brief her when commissioning work, and how the personal impacts of this work were rarely considered. Researchers and ethics committees should consider ethical responsibilities to 'do no harm' when it comes to transcriptionist wellbeing.

The Experience of Working With Individuals Who Sexually Offend.

Providing treatment to those who have committed sexual offenses can be difficult and challenging work. Older studies have suggested that service providers may experience changes in mood, symptoms of trauma, and countertransference reactions due to their work. Recent research has found that effective coping and self-care strategies may mitigate these negative outcomes. Given the relative dearth of recent empirical studies, we assessed the prevalence of self-reported mood, trauma symptoms, and countertransference reactions and their relation to coping styles and self-care practices in a sample of 32 male and 52 female therapists who provided treatment to individuals convicted of sexual offenses. As expected, we found minimal levels of clinically significant depressive (4%) and trauma symptoms (9%). Some countertransference reactions to clients were reported, including intense anger, retributive fantasies, sexual attraction, and arousal. A problem-solving coping style was associated with higher levels of psychological well-being, while avoidant coping was related to increased depressive and trauma symptoms. Approximately 10% of therapists with an abuse history reported re-experiencing their own victimization. The majority of therapists reported engaging in self-care practices. The findings are discussed as they pertain to those who provide services to individuals convicted of sexual offenses.

Prosecution as a "Soul Crushing" Job: Emotional Labor and Secondary Trauma in Working Sexual Assault Cases.

Prosecutors who work sex crimes face considerable legal constraints, for example, the need for corroborating evidence to prove their case, as well as extra-legal factors including biases that influence decision-making across the criminal justice system. Beyond these factors, sexual assault cases, especially those involving college students, present significant emotional trauma not only for victims, but also for prosecutors. This inductive study explores the ways prosecutors handle system constraints and how they experience and manage their response to emotionally difficult cases. Qualitative interview data revealed strategies that prosecutors use to mitigate the psychological impacts of participation in the courtroom experience on survivors of sexual assault and indicators of secondary trauma. In combination, this study's examination of legal and extra-legal factors, secondary and vicarious trauma, and emotional labor contribute to a theory of how prosecutors work campus sex crime cases, expanding our understanding of both prosecutors' roles and emotional labor, with implications for research, policy and practice.

Vicarious Trauma Scale: Psychometric Properties in a Sample of Social Workers from Spain.

As a result of secondary exposure to traumatic material, social workers may experience vicarious trauma. However, the analysis of this variable among social workers is scarce. The Vicarious Trauma Scale (VTS) is a brief instrument designed to measure the stress consequence of shared trauma. This study aims to examine the psychometrics of the VTS in a sample of 448 social workers from Spain. The results from the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA) indicated that the VTS has satisfactory psychometric properties. Different indices of internal consistency supported the reliability of the VTS. Both EFA and CFA revealed the existence of two factors, corresponding to the cognitive and affective consequences of secondary exposure to trauma. Finally, the correlations of the VTS with other relevant and well-known job variables (workload, work-family conflict, detachment, supervisor support, burnout, and engagement) followed the expected pattern, and the VTS differentiated the social workers by their trauma caseload. Therefore, the VTS can be considered an adequate screening method of social workers' vicarious trauma, and its application recommended to examine the possible risk and protective factors and consequences.

Beyond workplace violence: Direct and vicarious trauma among psychiatric hospital workers. A qualitative study.

AIM: We aimed to explore psychiatric nurses' and other psychiatric workers' understanding of trauma in the context of their relationships with the people they care for and the effects on their mental health. BACKGROUND: Workplace violence in psychiatric hospitals can lead to mental health problems, including posttraumatic stress disorder. Professional relationships with the people they care for may complicate psychiatric workers' experiences of trauma. METHODS: We qualitatively analysed responses of 30 psychiatric workers who answered relevant open-ended questions in a survey of workplace violence and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. RESULTS: We found that respondents were profoundly affected by violence and vicarious trauma through the current and previous suffering of people in their care. The effects of vicarious exposure and other potentially psychologically traumatic events were often made worse by lack of organizational support. CONCLUSION: Not only direct exposure to violent events but also indirect exposure, vicarious traumatic stress and perceived lack of organizational support affect staff's well-being. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Management should ensure that mental health supports are not limited to workers directly affected by workplace violence but should extend to those who witnessed the event and to those regularly exposed to vicarious trauma.

Extent and predictors of work-related distress in community correction officers: a systematic review.

Research indicates that indirect exposure to trauma can have a detrimental psychological impact on professionals working within, and interfacing with, law enforcement and the criminal justice system. This systematic review aimed to explore the extent and predictors of work-related distress amongst community corrections personnel. A search of five databases identified 19 papers eligible for inclusion; 16 addressed burnout, and the remainder investigated secondary trauma, vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. Synthesis revealed that community corrections personnel reported burnout at levels akin to those of other professions working in forensic contexts, though reports of secondary trauma appeared higher. Predictive factors encompassed personal, role-based and organisational factors. Research reporting work-related distress in correctional officers is focused on burnout but uses divergent models of stress, reveals methodological weaknesses, and to date has little examined responses to indirect trauma. The limitations of this review are discussed, alongside clinical implications and areas for future research.