A Preliminary Study of Gender and Treatment of Power Rapists As Risk Factors for Secondary Traumatic Stress

With an increased focus on the concept of self-care in clinical practice, it is imperative to examine barriers to self-care, such as secondary traumatization among mental health professionals. Recognition of risk factors for secondary traumatic stress through self-monitoring can be used as a preventative measure for traumatization and self-care strategies through increased awareness. This dissertation examined the treatment of power rapists and gender differences as risk factors for the development of secondary traumatic stress in forensic mental health professionals through interpretation of reported scores from the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale of the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL). Historically, research has focused on secondary traumatic stress among professionals who have treated survivors of rape, while little has been done to understand this form of trauma as it relates to the treatment of the perpetrators of sexual assault. In addition, research revealed insufficient attention to the relationship between gender differences and secondary traumatic stress. Data was obtained from a representative sample of mental health professionals with experience treating power rapists who completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL). It was hypothesized that mental health practitioners with power rapist experience and female professionals would generally elicit higher scores in the Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) Scale of the ProQOL. Results found no statistically significant differences between mental health professionals with power rapist experience and the ProQOL normative sample on the STS scale. In addition, there were no statistically significant differences between female and male forensic mental health workers in the STS Scale. A comprehensive examination of secondary traumatic stress in relation to risk factors illuminated the need for additional research in this area, potential protective interventions, and necessary preventative measures.