Vicarious Trauma and PTSD Among Social Services Professionals: Exploring the Need for Harm Reduction and Self-Care

Abstract

Vicarious trauma is a condition resulting from a repeated exposure to the traumatic experiences of others, which if undetected, has the potential to lead to PTSD. Therefore, although often uncomfortable, discussions on the mental health and wellbeing of the workers in social services are imperative. The review of existing literature indicated that numerous studies have been conducted on harm-reducing interventions, yet their findings are not applied effectively.

The objective of my qualitative research was to gain insights into the respondents' self-care practices, their awareness of vicarious trauma and PTSD, and whether they perceived these conditions as occupational hazards. For the data collection purposes, it utilized an anonymous web-based survey that was created using Google Forms application. The survey was disseminated through the "Sosionomien uraverkosto" Facebook group and the author's network. It obtained responses from 23 participants, albeit setting limitations for in-depth analytics due to the known low response rate associated with web-based surveys.

Although all respondents claimed to engage in self-care practices, a majority expressed the desire for improved coping skills against work-related stress. Moreover, the findings emphasized the significance of acknowledging and addressing self-care, advocating for a more informed and proactive approach to harm reduction for both students and professionals in social services. Despite the constraints posed by the data collection instrument, the results underscored the need for education on vicarious trauma, PTSD, their causes, and symptoms. Therefore, encouraging open dialogue in educational institutions and workplaces facilitates the introduction of diverse, holistic self-care methods that contribute to overall wellbeing.