Article

A Review of Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth - Focused on Counselors and Mental Health Professionals -

Author

Ahn Eun-Ju

Information

pp. 1~15 / 2017 Vol.24 No.4

Abstract

Although personal and professional growth of counselors in the process of coping with indirect traumaexposure has been actively reported since the 2000s, it is difficult to find research that provides a broadreview of the available literature, domestic and foreign, on this issue. The purpose of this study is topresent the overall trend in vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG) of counselors and mental healthprofessionals by reviewing current domestic and foreign studies. For this task, 19 articles were selected andanalyzed in respect to four areas: measurement tools, comparison with posttraumatic growth (PTG), relatedfactors of occurrence, and relationship with vicarious trauma (VT) and secondary traumatic stress (STS).The results were as follows: First, PTGI was mainly used to measure VPTG and additional measurementtools for the cognitive change and responses to VT. Second, VPTG shared similar features and generatorswith PTG, but there was a clear difference in coping process, in developing the expertise and inexpanding empathy and social role. Third, the degree of exposure to indirect trauma, related psychologicalfactors, available social support and demographic variables were all related to VPTG. Fourth, therelationship between VPTG and VT/STS showed a curvilinear curve (reverse U). Finally limitations on thecurrent literature and areas for future research are suggested.

Keywords