Inside I Am Crying, Outside I Am Smiling

Vicarious Trauma Among Emerging Violence Prevention Researchers in South Africa

Dados Bibliográficos

ID6436079
AutoresPascal Richardson (0000-0002-6697-8453, Institute for Social and Health Sciences, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa), Noxolo Dumani (0000-0002-4546-0823, Institute for Social and Health Sciences, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa)
Ano2025
Volume65
Fascículo3
Páginas455-477
Data de publicação2025-02-16
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of Humanistic Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0022-1678 • E-ISSN: 1552-650X
EditoraSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00221678251318908
OpenAlexW4407668449
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas28

The existing literature on vicarious trauma primarily focuses on clinical and counseling psychologists, social workers, and first-responders in the Global North, with limited research conducted on researchers and academics, particularly within the South African context. Considering the prevalence of crime, violence, and trauma-based research in South Africa, it is crucial to examine the emotional well-being of researchers in this field. Our article addresses this gap by analyzing personal experiences and reflections of emerging scholars through a collective autoethnography. We draw from personal journals and reflective narratives to shed light on the challenging circumstances researchers face and how vicarious trauma can contribute to personal growth and development. Our findings highlight themes such as fear, hypervigilance, distrust, anger, helplessness, as well as positive experiences like involvement, social support, and community building. We make recommendations which aim to address how violence research is conceptualized and operationalized, and we provide suggestions to address these challenges at an individual, institutional, and systemic level

Crying · Developmental psychology · Emotional trauma · Psychotherapist · Child Abuse and Trauma · Clinical Psychology · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Social Psychology