@article{ref1,
title="Are parents at a higher risk for secondary traumatic stress? How interviewing child victims impacts relationships with forensic interviewer's friends and family",
journal="Child abuse and neglect",
year="2018",
author="Brady, Patrick Q. and Fansher, Ashley K. and Zedaker, Sara B.",
volume="88",
number="",
pages="275-287",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Forensic interviewers are at a heightened risk for secondary traumatic stress (STS) due to their frequent interactions with victims of child maltreatment (Bonach & Heckert, 2012). To date, however, few studies have examined the negative effects of this work on interviewers' social and emotional well-being. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: The present study seeks to explore the effect of STS on the relationships of forensic interviewers, including those with friends, family, and their respective children. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Data are derived from a sample of 367 forensic interviewers (FIs) recruited from across the United States. <br><br>METHODS: The current study used a cross-sectional research design to obtain qualitative and quantitative data from an online survey of certified forensic interviewers. <br><br>RESULTS: Personal-level predictors of STS included interviewers' sex (β = 0.11, p = 0.02), trauma history (β = 0.13, p = 0.004), and frequency of socializing with family members outside of work (β = -0.12, p = 0.01). Work-related predictors included the frequency of direct (β = 0.10, p = 0.04) and indirect exposures to graphic details of child maltreatment (β = 0.09, p = 0.05), burnout (β = 0.58, p = 0.000), and years of experience investigating crimes against children (β = 0.10, p = 0.03). Factors such as parental status and external social support were not significantly associated with STS in the qualitative analysis. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Forensic interviewers experience both positive and negative effects of exposure to crimes against children, with work-related factors being particularly impactful on the potential for STS.<br><br>Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0145-2134",
doi="10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.11.017",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.11.017"
}