Vicarious trauma exposure in relation to trauma and resilience among mental health profesionals and trainess with sense of coherence as moderator

This study aimed to examine the relationships between vicarious trauma exposure (VTE), vicarious trauma (VT), vicarious resilience (VR) and sense of coherence (SOC) among mental health professionals and trainees in Malaysia. Specifically, the study sought to examine the relationships between VTE and VT as well as VR, to assess differences in levels of VTE, VT and VR between professionals and trainees and to determine the moderating role of SOC in the relationships between VTE and VT and VR. The study employed a quantitative correlational research design. A total of 91 mental health professionals and trainees were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, regression analyses, Mann_Whitney U tests and crosstabulation analyses. The findings showed that VTE did not significantly predict VT or VR. However, trainees reported significantly higher levels of VT compared to professionals. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that SOC significantly predicted VR but did not moderate the relationships between VTE and VT or VR. Crosstabulation analysis further revealed a significant non-linear distributional association between VTE and VT. Overall, the findings suggest that VTE alone does not determine levels of trauma or resilience, whereas internal factors such as SOC are more closely associated with resilience among mental health practitioners. The study highlights the importance of strengthening psychological resources and training support to promote the well-being of mental health professionals and trainees.