What is it about?
Secondary traumatization is a condition with symptoms similar to those of PTSD. For secondary traumatiztion, the symptoms emerge from being in contact with others that have experiences trauma (instead of experiencing it firsthand)· Theoretically, secondary traumatization has long been assumed to be an extension of PTSD. This article is an investigation of whether PTSD and secondary traumatization are similar in the existing literature, and of the overlap between PTSD and secondary traumatization across four professional groups in Denmark.
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Why is it important?
It is important to investigate whether PTSD and secondary traumatization are similar empirically, as this can guide practice around assessing and treating symptoms. Our findings indicate that there is not sufficient knowledge to confirm or disprove the assumption that the two are the same. This should guide future research to stay curious in considering how to best understand the concepts of PTSD and secondary traumatization.
Perspectives
I hope this article will encourage readers to be curious about how much impact it can have how a concept is operationalized through quantitative measures, and to be curious about what lies behind our understandings of psychological phenomena in a broader perspective.
Isabel Rouw
Syddansk Universitet
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Secondary traumatization and PTSD: Two sides of the same coin? Findings from a literature review and four surveys., Traumatology An International Journal, February 2026, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/trm0000648.
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