Vicarious Trauma among PSP Peer Supporters
Status: Ongoing
Project Lead: Dr. Simon Hatcher (PI)
Main Research Contact: Brooklyn Ward
Funded By: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Public safety personnel (PSP), which include police, fire, paramedics, dispatchers and correctional staff, are chronically exposed to traumatic stress incidents, placing them at increased risk of developing mental health disorders and dying by suicide. This group also faces significant barriers accessing mental healthcare. One possible solution to this is the use of peer support programs to provide judgement-free support from someone who has been there.
OnCall is a smartphone app that was developed by a team at McMaster University in partnership with members of the public safety community. It connects Public Safety Personnel with trained peer supporters who can provide them with mental health assistance.
There is some evidence to suggest that peer supporters can also experience mental health difficulties from being exposed to other people’s trauma. This study aims to determine:
If OnCall peer supporters experience vicarious trauma, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue.
What factors lead to vicarious trauma, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue among OnCall peer supporters.
Explore OnCall peer supporters’ experiences of providing help and how this affects their own mental health.
This study will provide important information on the experiences of public safety personnel peer supports and will identify factors that can lead to or worsen vicarious trauma, secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue. We also hope to identify some factors that can help to alleviate some of the impact of these issues. The results of this study will be used to inform future research.
Key Terms
Vicarious Trauma: When a peer supporter’s worldview changes so that the world is seen as a dangerous and unforgiving place.
Secondary Trauma: When peer supporters develop symptoms of trauma which are similar to those of the people they are trying to help.
Compassion Fatigue: When peer supporters experience a decrease in their professional ability to care for others because of their continued exposure to suffering.