• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.20 no.11
• /
• pp.457-471
• /
• 2020

The purpose of this study is to explore the in-depth content of vicarious trauma experience of sexual violence counselors and to develop intervention strategy. To this end, depth interviews were conducted with twelve sexual violence counselors working at the sexual violence counseling site for more than three years. In addition, using the concept mapping method, the content exploration of the experience of vicarious trauma of sexual violence counselors was confirmed, and its conceptual structure was identified. As a result, 60 key sentences regarding the experience of vicarious trauma of sexual violence counselors were extracted. Then, multi-dimensional scale and cluster analysis were conducted after making nineteen appraisal participants who are under the same condition as depth interview participants to categorize and assess key sentences. As a result of analysis, the x-axis of negative perception, psychological and emotional dimension, and the y-axis of personal inner and behavioral dimension appeared, and five clusters emerged: immersion and skepticism about work, experience of emotional assimilation, hypersensitivity to sex, increased vigilance against men, and threat of safety. This provided basic data that could categorize and identify the contents of vicarious trauma of sexual violence counselors experience by sexual violence counselors.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.20 no.12
• /
• pp.393-405
• /
• 2020

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a scale of vicarious trauma for sexual violence counselors. To this end, the concept of composition and preliminary questions of the vicarious trauma of sexual violence counselors were selected through the analysis of a content of individual interviews of sexual violence counselors and the precedent theory. Then, preliminary scale was developed after expert's evaluation of the validity of the contents. Next, as a result of a confirmatory factor analysis on the preliminary scale of 349 sexual violence counselors with experience in consulting sexual violence clients, it is confirmed that the conformity of five-factor structure was found to be favorable. As a result of convergent and discriminative validity analysis, it was confirmed that the developed scale is a reasonable tool for measuring vicarious trauma of sexual violence counselors by showing proper correlation with Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, Counselor Burnout Inventory and Inventory of Countertransference Behavior. Furthermore, as a result of correlation analysis between professional identity and Belief in a Just World, it confirmed that it has predictive validity of the scale by indicating a high negative correlation. Furthermore, the relationship between the scale of vicarious trauma of sexual violence counselors and career background was analyzed. Finally, based on the results of this study, the significance and limitations of this study and the direction of future research were discussed.

• Anxiety and mood
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.65-70
• /
• 2010

Objectives : Indirect contact with trauma may occur when a person empathically listens to detailed descriptions, exposing the person to intense emotional pain from trauma victims. Although less severe than direct trauma, indirectly traumatized persons may experience the same fear, rage, and despair as direct trauma victims. This phenomenon has been variously termed vicarious trauma, traumatic countertransference, burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress. Using a psychiatric symptoms questionnaires, this study investigated the effects of indirect exposure to co-worker's trauma on the mental health of firefighters who had not directly experienced traumatic events in the previous year. Methods : We administered self-report questionnaires, such as the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IESR) and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), to firefighters working at two fire stations in a metropolitan city. We analyzed 188 of 232 collected surveys, after excluding falsely entered data (28 cases) and questionnaires by directly-traumatized victims (16 cases). Results : Alcohol consumption and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, as determined by the AUDIT and IES-R, were significantly higher in the indirectly-traumatized group. The ratio of high-risk members scoring higher than 23 in IES-R was larger in the indirectly traumatized group, although this was not statistically significant. Conclusion : Alcohol consumption was significantly higher in the indirectly traumatized group. This group also included more members at high risk for PTSD. Further research, with a larger group of indirectly traumatized firefighters and ongoing investigation of PTSD development and other psychiatric symptoms, is needed.