A Review of Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth - Focused on Counselors and Mental Health Professionals -
AUTHOR : 안은주
INFORMATION : page. 1~15 / 2017 Vol.24 No.4
ABSTRACT
Although personal and professional growth of counselors in the process of coping with indirect trauma
exposure has been actively reported since the 2000s, it is difficult to find research that provides a broad
review of the available literature, domestic and foreign, on this issue. The purpose of this study is to
present the overall trend in vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG) of counselors and mental health
professionals by reviewing current domestic and foreign studies. For this task, 19 articles were selected and
analyzed in respect to four areas: measurement tools, comparison with posttraumatic growth (PTG), related
factors 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 measurement
tools for the cognitive change and responses to VT. Second, VPTG shared similar features and generators
with PTG, but there was a clear difference in coping process, in developing the expertise and in
expanding empathy and social role. Third, the degree of exposure to indirect trauma, related psychological
factors, available social support and demographic variables were all related to VPTG. Fourth, the
relationship between VPTG and VT/STS showed a curvilinear curve (reverse U). Finally limitations on the
current literature and areas for future research are suggested.