Secondary Traumatic Stress and Vicarious Trauma Among Legal Professionals: A Scoping Review of Risk, Resilience, and Options for Institutional Response

This scoping review examines the prevalence, predictors, impacts, and potential responses to secondary traumatic stress (STS) and vicarious trauma (VT) among professionals working in child welfare, family law and other legal, judicial, and adjacent service systems. We conducted a comprehensive search across multidisciplinary medical, psychological, and legal databases. Across qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies, professionals with sustained exposure to client trauma experienced high levels of psychological distress, including symptoms of PTSD, depression, emotional exhaustion, and functional impairment. Factors associated with STS and VT included direct and indirect trauma exposure, long work hours, unsupportive organizational cultures, and limited institutional support. Protective factors such as supportive supervision, trauma-informed organizational cultures, and access to mental health services mitigated the effects of trauma exposure. Overall, the findings underscore the need for systemic, organizational responses to address STS and VT to support workforce well-being and sustain ethical, effective services for trauma-exposed clients.