ANALYSIS OF SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS AMONG PHYSICIANS

Abstract

The narrative review was important in understanding secondary traumatic stress among physicians. The primary aim of this narrative review was achieved by reviewing qualitative and quantitative studies to analyze if physicians were at-risk of being exposed to secondary traumatic stress when providing care to traumatized individuals. A review of the literature revealed a significant finding that identified 29 medical specialties that were more likely to be exposed to secondary traumatic stress associated with burnout when subjected to repetitive indirect traumatic exposures. An interesting finding showed that physicians were at a greater risk of secondary traumatic stress when they worked longer hours per day (12 hours or more), extended hours throughout the week (80 hours or more), and worked primarily overnight shifts. An unexpected finding in this narrative review revealed that physicians with dependents (e.g., a child/children) had an increased risk of being vulnerable to the effects of secondary traumatic stress. This noteworthy finding was compelling because factors that interlinked dependents to secondary traumatic stress among physicians were unanticipated. Though this narrative review contributes to the body of literature, further studies are necessary because research on secondary traumatic stress among physicians is limited and the lack of literature suggests needed future research