Soraya Matthews, MSc, NUI Galway, Psychology Matters Day. Exposure to traumatic experiences or material can often have a negative impact on a person's health. It can be common for us to only consider people who have experienced trauma first hand as experiencing negative health effects, both physically and mentally. However, this experience can also occur when a person experiences traumatic material secondarily. Secondary traumatic stress can develop when a person is exposed to trauma through hearing about the first-hand trauma experiences of others. This has become common in jobs where employees are exposed to clients/patients who have suffered from trauma (e.g. domestic violence specialists, mental health professionals, or nurses). Its symptoms can mimic those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) if left unchecked. Furthermore, this can often be reflected in their health status (e.g. negatively impacted). Research has suggested that individuals who have been exposed to trauma were 2.7 times more likely to have a longstanding negative health problem, such as fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and chronic fatigue syndrome. For this reason, it is important to examine the potential psychological and organisational factors that can influence, or protect against, the development of health problems and secondary traumatic stress in employees who experience high volumes of traumatic material.

1. Me, Myself & Trauma:
But What Does It Mean
For My Health?
Soraya Matthews, MSc Health Psychology NUIG

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This talk is focused on how
the exposure to traumatic
material, second hand, can
influence health experiences

3. What is health?
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• Presence or absence of illness?
• Ability to carry out duties?
‘ Health is a complete state of physical, mental
and social wellbeing and not merely the absence
of disease or infirmity’
(World Health Organisation,1947)
• Psychological wellbeing?

4. Secondary Traumatic Stress?
“I Don’t Have PTSD”
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Definition:
“the natural consequent behaviours and emotions resulting from
knowing about a traumatizing event experienced by another - the stress
resulting from helping or wanting to help a traumatized or suffering
person” (Figley, 1995, p. 7)

5. STS Symptoms & Trauma Response
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Hypervigilance
Physical
Ailments
Social
Withdrawal
Chronic
Exhaustion
Hopelessness Disconnection
Illness
Anger &
Cynicism
Diminished
Self-Care
Stamm & Figley, 2009

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Your Body on Stress
 Immune System, Nervous System & Endocrine System
• Eustress: beneficial stress
• Acute Stress: Day to day
life stresses
• Boost immune function
Short Term Stress
When system
activated,
adrenaline is
released
Once threat is over,
the body returns to
natural state
Long Term Stress
When system
activated,
cortisol is
released
Prolonged stress
exposure, harder
for body to stop
being alert
• Chronic Stress: ongoing,
‘heavy load’
• Suppresses immune
function

7. Experience of Threat – Factors Involved
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Stress
Experience
Experiential
Background
Beliefs
Internal
Resources/
Coping
Personality
Emotional
Content

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Chronic Stress over time &
Potential Health Impacts
Physical
• Dizziness
• Back Pain
• Stomach Aches
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Chest Pains
• High Blood
Pressure
• Headaches
• Weight
Loss/Gain
Emotional
• Anxious
• Anger
• Confusion
• Mood Changes
• Irritabilty
• Sadness
• Helplessness
• Guilt
• Fear
• Hopelessness
Behavioural
• Alcohol Use
• Smoking
• Drug Use
• Grinding Teeth
• Social
Withdrawal
• Poor Diet
• Avoidance
• Disturbed Sleep

9. Research
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Irish female trauma therapists and taking on physical stress of
client: common health effects included: dizziness, joint achiness,
nausea, headaches, stomach disturbances, and more (Booth,
Trimble, & Egan, 2010).
Buckley and Kaloupek’s (2001) group of studies suggest that
trauma-exposed people without PTSD can still have elevated
cardiovascular arousal.
A key finding of PNI research is that both physical and
psychological stress can trigger the inflammatory response
(Robles, Glaser, & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2005).
Afari et al.’s (2014) review of 71 studies, found that individuals who
reported exposure to trauma were 2.7 times more likely to have a
functional somatic syndrome, such as fibromyalgia, chronic pain,
chronic fatigue syndrome.

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Normalizing STS
 STS is a normal experience to abnormal external events
 We are all human
 STS symptoms fit within the framework of “Compassion
Fatigue”
 STS is not caused by an individual deficit
 There are underlying risk factors that may leave individuals
vulnerable to development
 STS & health - when the “stress load” becomes too much for
coping capacity

11. Empathy and Social Support
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Empathy:
• Can be a risk factor, but can also be a protective factor (Figley, 1995).
• Empathy is viewed as central to mental health care and the patient-
clinician relationship.
• This skill has been defined as the ability to match another’s emotional
response.
Social Support:
• This is important as it has been shown in past research to be a influence
the relationship between stress and illness.
• Social support can include formal support such as therapy or
professional supervision or informal support such as peer supervision,
family, the community and/or friends (Pierce, Sarason & Sarason, 1996)

12. The Importance of Self-Care
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 Self-care has an important role to play in the building and promotion of resilient traits
for individuals (Moffette, Matthew & Fawcett, 2015).
 If experiencing long-term chronic stress/STS, individuals not using self-care can be at
risk for engaging in negative coping strategies, which may impact their ability to work
to the standards that are required of them by their profession (Barnett, et al., 2007).
 Examples of self-care strategies: eating healthily, get enough sleep, exercise,
relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga, take time for one’s self, leave work
at the door, and social support (i.e. offloading stress, connecting with others, talking to
a professional if needed).

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My Own Research
 Examining the potential work place and psychological factors
that may influence or protect against the development of
secondary traumatic stress and health problems in Domestic
Violence Support Specialists.
 Examining whether the psychological profile of DV support
specialists who have experienced trauma similar to their
clients in the past different to those who have not
experienced this.
 Individual Services, COSC & SAFE Ireland

14. References
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• Afari, N., Ahumada, S.M., Wright, L.J., Mostoufi, S., Golnari, G., Reis,V., & Cuneo, J.G. (2014). Psychological Trauma and
Functional Somatic Syndromes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Psychosom Med., 76(1), 2–11.
• Barnett, J.E., Baker, E.K., Elman, N.S., & Schoener, G.R. (2007). In Pursuit of Wellness: The Self-Care Imperative. Prof
Psychol Res Pract., 38(6):603–612
• Booth, A., Trimble, T., & Egan, J. (2010). Body-centred countertransference in a sample of Irish clinical psychologists. The
Irish Psychologist, 36, 284-289.
• Buckley, T. C., & Kaloupek, D. G. (2001). A meta-analytic examination of basal cardiovascular activity in posttraumatic stress
disorder. Psychosomatic Medicine, 63, 585-594.
• Figley, C. R. (Ed.). (1995). Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the
traumatized. New York: Brunner Mazel.
• Moffett, J., Matthew, S., Fawcett, A. (2015). Building career resilience. In Pract., 37(1):37–41
• Robles, T. F., Glaser, R., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. (2005). Out of balance: A new look at chronic stress, depression, and
immunity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14, 111–115.
• Pierce, G. R., Sarason, B. R., & Sarason, I. G. (1996). Handbook of social support and the family. New York,
NY: Plenum Press.
• Stamm, B. H., & Figley, C. R. (2009). Advances in the theory of compassion satisfaction and fatigue and its measurement
with the ProQOL 5. Presented at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Conference. Atlanta, GA.

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THANKS!
Any questions?
You can find me at
s.matthews3@nuigalway.ie