The Prevalence of Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress in Professionals and Volunteers Working With Forcibly Displaced People: A Systematic Review and Two Meta‐Analyses

Abstract

Research suggests that professionals and volunteers who work with forcibly displaced people (FDP) experience burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS) as a result of working with such a highly traumatized population. In the present systematic review and meta‐analyses, we report the pooled prevalence rates of burnout and STS in individuals working both professionally and voluntarily with FDP. The CINAHL Complete, E‐Journals, ERIC, MEDLINE Complete, OpenDissertations, PsycARTICLES, and PsycINFO databases were searched for articles published historically to September 2019. Studies (N = 15) were included and assessed for quality if (a) their sample comprised individuals working in a professional or voluntary capacity with refugees, asylum seekers, forced migrants, or displaced persons and (b) reported on an outcome of STS or burnout. Two meta‐analyses were conducted using random‐effects models to assess the prevalence of (a) burnout and (b) STS. The pooled prevalence of high‐level burnout was 29.7%, 95% CI [13.8%, 45.6%], with considerable heterogeneity between studies, Q(5) = 112.42, p < .001, I2 = 95.6%. The pooled prevalence of moderate, high, and severe STS was 45.7%, 95% CI [26.1%, 65.2%] with considerable heterogeneity between studies, Q(12) = 1,079.37, p < .001, I2 = 98.9%. Significant differences were observed in reported prevalence depending on the measure administered. This review highlights the high prevalence of high‐level burnout and moderate‐to‐severe STS reported by individuals working with FDP. The results have implications for future research, employment support for individuals working with FDP, and measure selection for assessing STS.

A neglected aspect of refugee relief works: Secondary and vicarious traumatic stress

“…Like the findings reported by Denkinger and colleagues' ( 2018), these results revealed a significant correlation between interpreters' trauma history and STS symptom severity (Kindermann et al, 2017). Parallel with these findings, a recent meta-analysis of 15 studies demonstrated a pooled STS prevalence of 45% among professionals and volunteers working with forcibly displaced people (Roberts et al, 2021). Finally, Mishori and colleagues (2013) examined the prevalence of VTS among asylum evaluators (i.e., doctors and psychiatrists asked to document the evidence of torture and persecution) and found that 26.2% of the 192 participants reported having experienced vicarious trauma.…”

Professional Quality of Life in Greek Health Professionals Working with Refugees and Migrants

“…and Kjellenberg et al in which caregivers and professionals working with refugees and migrants reported high levels of CS and a lower risk for BO and CF suggesting their competence to manage the impact of work with trauma sufferers ( 9 , 17 ). Similarly, high levels of CS are reported in other studies ( 12 ). Apostolidou found that the positive emotions of professionals working with trauma sufferers were related to the gratitude they received from the sufferers and their improvement, as well as to the personal development resulting from that experience ( 18 ).…”

“…Overall, the impact of working with immigrants and refugees is well recognized by the existing literature. In a recent systematic review of the emotional consequences of trauma work for humanitarian professionals, eight studies focused on professional quality of life ( 12 ). However, only two of the studies included a small number of health professionals in their samples.…”

Secondary Traumatisation and Emotional Exhaustion in Mental Healthcare Providers: The Mediating Role of Social Support

“…This study mainly focused on the associations between STS, EE and SS, especially whether the relation between STS and EE was mediated by SS. (Roberts et al, 2021), first responders (Greinacher et al, 2019), and soldiers (Cieslak et al, 2013;Penix, Kim, Wilk, & Adler, 2018). The current study focused on general mental healthcare providers, who worked in less risky conditions, which could explain the relative low prevalence of STS in our study.…”