Secondary Traumatic Stress and Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth in Healthcare Professionals: A Meta-Analysis

Health professionals are constantly exposed to the traumatic experiences suffered by patients, which makes them vulnerable to developing secondary traumatic stress (STS). There is also the possibility of vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG). Given the previous mixed findings, this meta-analysis is aimed to identify the relationship between STS and VPTG in health personnel, and its possible moderators. Eight online databases were searched, and 21 studies were included. The data analysis was performed using the randomeffects model. The results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between STS and VPTG (r =.063, 95% CI [.031,.095]), despite the heterogeneity in the gender of the participants, experience, professional category, specialization, country, and type of population under care. The findings can help us to better understand the relation between STS and VPTG, as well as how to promote the growth of professionals. Public Health Significance Statement This meta-analysis found that the presence of secondary traumatic stress can be accompanied by vicarious growth. Moreover, characteristics, such as gender, experience, specialization, profession, country, and the population cared for should be considered. This information could be of value when developing interventions targeted to foster growth for specific categories of healthcare professionals.