Journal article
Vicarious trauma among forensic psychologists
Journal of forensic sciences
28 Nov 2025
PMID: 41316538
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Mental health professionals who conduct forensic assessments are often exposed to stressors during evaluations of justice-involved individuals (e.g., graphic descriptions of violence, crime scene photos), yet little research has examined vicarious trauma among forensic mental health evaluators. Vicarious trauma refers to the emotional and psychological impact experienced by individuals who are indirectly exposed to traumatic events. This study used a self-report survey to examine how various protective and risk factors impact the prevalence of vicarious trauma among forensic psychologists (N = 82). Results revealed that perceived social support, trait empathy, the total number of evaluations conducted, and substance use as a coping skill were not significantly related to forensic psychologists' experience of vicarious trauma. Although results were not statistically significant, this study's methodology contributes to the existing literature by exploring how vicarious trauma may manifest differently in forensic psychologists when compared to other "helping professions," and it provides suggestions for future research to more accurately capture the construct of vicarious trauma. Future research should seek to improve existing operationalizations of vicarious trauma and explore it'sprevalence among other types of forensic mental health evaluators.
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Details
- Title
- Vicarious trauma among forensic psychologists
- Creators
- Kellie Wiltsie - Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USAChelsea Jackson - Drexel UniversityHaleh Kanani - Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USASimone Grisamore - Drexel UniversityDavid DeMatteo - Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Publication Details
- Journal of forensic sciences
- Publisher
- WILEY; HOBOKEN
- Number of pages
- 12
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); College of Arts and Sciences; Thomas R. Kline School of Law
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001626318700001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105023437072
- Other Identifier
- 991022133563404721
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- Web of Science research areas
- Medicine, Legal