Understanding Vicarious Trauma and Burnout in Mental Health Care: A Study of Psychologists, Social Workers and Nurses

Abstract

Secondary traumatic stress, staff turnover, and compassion fatigue pose a major threat to mental health workers because they are regularly exposed to clients’ negative experiences. Looking at the effect of these factors, this study aimed to assess the extent of psychological challenges experienced by psychiatric social workers, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses working in mental health settings across Chennai. Both structured and closed-ended questions were administered and self-completed by 45 participants using convenience sampling in psychiatric hospitals and rehabilitation centers in a specific city. The Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, and Vicarious Trauma Assessment from the Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute Inc. was used to determine the level of vicarious trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue among mental health professionals by gender and occupational roles, and it was evident that the level of vicarious trauma, burnout, and CF varied. Importantly, the authors also observed that the level of burnout among psychiatric nurses was considerably higher than that among psychologists and social workers, which underlines the emotional nature of the nurses’ job and the corresponding stress experienced by them. Moreover, female workers stated more often in the survey than male workers that they had a high level of VT, which indicates that gender-related factors may play a role in deciding on the level of secondary traumatic stress related to vicarious trauma. The results of this study emphasize the importance of designing accurate prevention programs and implementing effective interventions to counteract the negative impact of vicarious trauma and burnout. The urged mental health organizations should i) adopt inclusive wellness programs for their staff, ii) offer education on building emotional resilience and coping strategies, and iii) offer mental health support to their employees. Therefore, it is imperative that a number of considerations be made with regard to overcoming these challenges for the notable increase in the welfare of mental health workers and the effectiveness of the services rendered to clients. Additional studies are required to identify interventions that will help decrease the positive probability of acquisition of vicarious trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue among mental health care professionals practicing different professions.