Abstract
Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth (VPTG) is a critical yet underexplored phenomenon among trauma-focused helping professionals. While secondary trauma (ST), compassion fatigue, and burnout are widely recognized negative aspects of working with trauma survivors, less is known about the potential benefits of this work and its contributions to well-being. This qualitative study examined whether VPTG parallels Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) across its five domains and explored the lived experiences of ST and VPTG among peer-support specialists. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, re-searchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 participants, independently coded transcripts, and developed themes through consensus. Findings indicate that VPTG mirrors PTG, with participants reporting challenges to core beliefs, emotional distress, and transformative cognitive-emotional shifts that facilitated growth across the five PTG domains. Participants also described moving from an initial acclimation phase, characterized by heightened distress, into a thriving phase of work with trauma survivors, marked by meaning-making and enhanced well-being. Outcomes extended beyond the five PTG domains to include compassion satisfaction, hope, expanded coping skills, and improved mental health. These findings underscore the potential of work with trauma survivors to contribute to both growth and well-being, with important implications for supporting helping professionals.
From the study:
“It’ll bring things up for me and I’m able to recognize that’s part of me that I need to work on. And so that has shown a lot of personal strength for me just because I’m like, I can recognize that this is still an issue and that I need to work on it. And then I go home … and I work on it and I figure out, “okay, what do I need to do.” – Peer-Support Specialist
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