Secondary traumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among volunteers at a therapeutic riding center: The role of personal and environmental factors

This study examined the existence of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and/or vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG) among volunteers who work at the Therapeutic Riding & Canine Institute (TRCI) in Israel. Additionally, the study examined the personal and environmental factors that contribute to these phenomena. The study was conducted among 115 adult TRCI volunteers. The findings indicated that 10.6% reported moderate to high STS, and 2.6% reported severe STS. The level of VPTG was moderate. In addition, mastery and self-esteem correlated negatively only with STS, and the interaction between self-esteem and attitudes towards animals contributed to the explained variance of STS. By contrast, the environmental factors of social support and organizational commitment correlated significantly only with VPTG. The findings highlight the importance of raising awareness of STS and VPTG and their implications for volunteers.