The impact, prevalence and factors associated with secondary trauma in police officers investigating child sexual abuse:a systematic review

Background: Research indicates that indirect exposure to trauma can have a detrimental impact on professionals working within law enforcement, including the experience of secondary trauma. Police officers investigating child sexual abuse (CSA) are in regular contact with traumatic material, and therefore may be at an increased risk of experiencing this. This present review aimed to synthesise studies that have examined the impact of this type of work on police officers, including exploring levels of secondary trauma and associated risks and protective factors. Method: A comprehensive search of Embase, Medline, Applied Social Sciences Index (ASSIA), The Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress (PILOTS), Criminal Justice database, PsycInfo and Web of Science was undertaken systematically to identify existing research exploring the impact of investigating CSA for police officers. Studies were assessed for eligibility and risk of bias according to established criteria. Results: Of 2,590 titles, abstracts and full-texts assessed, 20 studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the included studies were of medium quality, and explored a range of psychological, social and physical consequences of investigating CSA. The level of secondary trauma in police officers ranged from none identified, to high, demonstrating that the evidence is far from conclusive. Associated factors of secondary trauma fed into several broad themes, these included: gender; personal history of trauma; years in profession; organisational support and stressors; coping strategies; exposure to CSA material and; personality. Conclusions: It is essential that officers’ psychological wellbeing is understood and supported so that the cumulative impact of listening to and witnessing traumatic information does not do lasting damage to their wellbeing. Although the results of this review would suggest that experiences of secondary traumatisation are a likely cost of caring for police officers investigating CSA, the question of how much and in what way appear far from answered. Conflicting findings from previous research suggest that a more nuanced and exploratory approach may help us to understand the experiences of police officers who are involved in CSA investigations. Clinical implications and future research recommendations are discussed