Vicarious Trauma in Trafficking Victim Service Providers

Background and Purpose

Victim service providers who work with trafficking survivors are uniquely positioned to experience transformation through exposure to trauma, changing their understandings of self and world. The goal of this research was twofold: first, to build knowledge around vicarious traumatization and its impact specifically on human trafficking victim service providers, and second, to examine the potential of organizational climate to mitigate turnover intent among those who have experienced vicarious traumatization. Vicarious traumatization, while a natural and adaptive response to traumatic exposure, requires psychosocial and environment resources to draw from to resolve. Shifting to a systems- and strengths-orientation, trauma informed climates support organizations in fostering growth for trafficking victim service providers, paving the way to retention of skilled staff in a complex field—serving survivors and helpers alike.

This study tested three hypotheses:

• H1: A measurement model with aggregate scores for disrupted beliefs items, the VTS, and the STSS as indicators loading onto the latent variable vicarious trauma will exhibit good model fit and statistically significant factor loadings.
• H2: Vicarious trauma will be significantly, positively associated with turnover intent.
• H3: Trauma-informed organizational climate will have a buffering effect on the relationship between vicarious trauma and turnover intent.

Methods

Data was collected via anonymous online survey; 256 participants completed the survey. A latent vicarious trauma variable was developed using the Vicarious Traumatization Scale, Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, and theoretically-derived measures of changed beliefs. Turnover intent was measured with the Turnover Intention Scale-6, and trauma-informed climate was measured with the Trauma-Informed Organizational Climate Scale-10. Hypotheses were testing using structural equation modeling.

Results

The study found that vicarious traumatization was common among human trafficking victim services (58.0% of participants, n = 141, scored in the clinical range for secondary traumatic stress). Results supported H1 ((c²(1) = 0.56, p = 0.45), RMSEA = 0.00, CFI = 1.00, TLI = 1.00, SRMR = .01). Results supported H2, higher VT was associated with higher turnover intent (β=.44, [95% CI: .33, .56], p<.001), with adequate model fit ((c²(2) = 9.54, p = 0.01), c²/df = 4.76, RMSEA = 0.12, CFI = .97, TLI = .92, SRMR = .03; turnover intent R² = .197 (.05), p < .001. Results did not support H3 (β=-.07, [95% CI: -.17, .03], p=.17). A trauma-informed organizational climate was not a significant moderator of this relationship, but did have a significant direct relationship with turnover intent (β=-.61, [95% CI: -.51, -.71], p<.001).

Conclusions and Implications

The experience of vicarious trauma was related to increased intent to leave one’s position, indicating the importance of addressing the impact of traumatic exposure on trafficking victim service providers. Additionally, a trauma-informed organizational climate was strongly associated with lower in turnover intent, suggesting the ways staff experience their work environment – as prioritizing choice, collaboration, safety, trustworthiness, and empowerment – may shape the way they receive and process their traumatic exposure. Organizations working with trauma-impacted clients should look at administrative structures and staff-facing interactions as a way to support victim service providers engaging in difficult work.