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Secondary traumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among volunteers at a therapeutic riding center: The role of personal and environmental factors

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Abstract

This study examined the existence of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and/or vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG) among volunteers who work at the Therapeutic Riding & Canine Institute (TRCI) in Israel. Additionally, the study examined the personal and environmental factors that contribute to these phenomena. The study was conducted among 115 adult TRCI volunteers. The findings indicated that 10.6% reported moderate to high STS, and 2.6% reported severe STS. The level of VPTG was moderate. In addition, mastery and self-esteem correlated negatively only with STS, and the interaction between self-esteem and attitudes towards animals contributed to the explained variance of STS. By contrast, the environmental factors of social support and organizational commitment correlated significantly only with VPTG. The findings highlight the importance of raising awareness of STS and VPTG and their implications for volunteers.

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Funding

The study was supported by the research unit of TRCI (Therapeutic Riding and Canine Center in Israel).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Ramat-Gan, Israel

    Anat Ben-Porat, Limor Gil, Amit Zriker & Drorit Levy

  2. Ariel University Israel, Ariel, Israel

    Dorit Brafman

  3. Therapeutic Riding & Canine in Israel, Tel Mond, Israel

    Dorit Brafman

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  1. Anat Ben-Porat
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  2. Limor Gil
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  3. Dorit Brafman
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  4. Amit Zriker
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Correspondence to Anat Ben-Porat.

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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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The study was approved by the ethics committee of the School of Social Work at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, and was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the American Psychological Association.

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Ben-Porat, A., Gil, L., Brafman, D. et al. Secondary traumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among volunteers at a therapeutic riding center: The role of personal and environmental factors. Curr Psychol 42, 3658–3667 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01704-9

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