Emotional Abuse as the Central Driver of Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Forensic Interviewers

• In Event: Consequences of Victimization: Vicarious Trauma and the Victim-Offender Overlap

Abstract

This quantitative study investigates the impact of various types of child abuse on secondary traumatic stress (STS) among forensic interviewers. Stepwise ordinary least squares regression analyses reveal that emotional abuse consistently ranks as the strongest predictor of STS across multiple subscales, except for intrusion. Sexual abuse follows as the second most influential factor, underscoring its significance in these professionals’ experiences of trauma. Despite a lower reliability score in the avoidance subscale, the overall STS scale remains highly reliable (α = .91). Across different model specifications, emotional abuse remains a robust driver of STS, substantially increasing symptoms of avoidance, negative cognition, and arousal. These patterns affirm the urgent need for targeted mental health interventions and refined caseload management strategies that prioritize emotional abuse cases. Moreover, the sustained importance of sexual abuse highlights its critical role in contributing to interviewers’ elevated risk of secondary trauma. This study advances our understanding of STS’s nuanced drivers and supports tailored policy measures to bolster forensic interviewers’ well-being.

Authors

• Jamie Abernathy, University of Nebraska Omaha

• Christopher Torres, Loyola University New Orleans

• Erik Cruz, Florida Memorial University