Secondary trauma amongst administrative support staff working with traumatic incident dockets within the South African Police Service in Johannesburg, South Africa

ABSTRACT

Background: Secondary trauma is trauma experienced by those in close contact with the victims of trauma. Research shows that some individuals exposed to photographs or video presentations of traumatic events may experience secondary trauma. This includes administrative staff within the South African Police Service (SAPS), who work with trauma dockets. Objectives: We explored the effects of secondary trauma on administrative support staff within the SAPS, their access to psychological support in the SAPS, and their use of the employee health and wellness (EHW) services in the SAPS. Methods: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted among administrative support staff from one of the four Johannesburg clusters of the SAPS. In-depth interviews took place with seven staff members. The data were analysed using Atlas.ti. Results: Administrative support staff are exposed to trauma through incident dockets, victim statements, and gruesome images. The study participants indicated that they experienced trauma daily, and symptoms of trauma such as flashbacks, anxiety, sadness, nightmares, paranoia, avoidance, recurrent thoughts, and fear of death. They were overprotective of their loved ones and paranoid. They were not utilising the EHW services due to lack of access to appropriate services, or the stigma attached to seeking help from mental health professionals. Conclusion: The SAPS needs to develop and implement a strategy to mitigate the impact of secondary trauma on its personnel, which include administrative support staff. Evidence-based interventions, such as resilience training, should be considered as part of the strategy