Title: Vicarious Victimization and Related Forms of Secondary Traumatization - Criminology - Oxford Bibliographies
Headings: 
by
Kelly E. Knight, Colter Ellis, Samuel T. Murphy, Heather Olson, Greer Wagner, Terra Dion, Rachel Gemar
LAST MODIFIED: 26 April 2018
DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195396607-0242
Introduction
Definitions
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Content: 10.1093/obo/9780195396607-0242
Introduction
Vicarious victimization is a process that results from repeated empathetic engagement with populations who experience first-hand victimization, i.e., primary victimization. It can be thought of as an umbrella term to encompass a number of distinct but related forms of secondary trauma, including vicarious traumatization, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, trauma exposure response, burnout, moral distress, and counter-transference. The term vicarious victimization is intentionally used here, rather than those just listed, to emphasize an occupational hazard that operates, simultaneously, at two different levels. First, the term denotes the victimization that is indirectly transmitted from victim to victim service provider. Second, the term signifies the victimization that occurs in occupations that have, intentionally or unintentionally, ignored the hazardous consequences of empathetic engagement. Using the term may also help criminologists, victimologists, and criminal justice scholars and practitioners view this occupational hazard as relevant to their own work because, historically, it has been studied almost exclusively in the psychology, social work, and public heath fields. Vicarious victimization is likely a significant problem. It can impact the mental and physical health of victim service providers, exacerbate staff turnover and shortages in providers, and decrease the efficacy of service provision for victims. Addressing the process of vicarious victimization is challenging. Although important work is being done, definitional inconsistencies, conceptual complexities, methodological issues, and gaps in the research need to be addressed.