Vicarious trauma, burnout, psychological flexibility, and self-care among forensic psychology expert witnesses

Constant exposure to trauma survivors can cause secondary trauma, also known as vicarious trauma (VT). Previous research revealed that VT affects psychologists and attorneys, although there is limited research pertaining to VT and psychologists who work in the field of law as expert witnesses. The current study examines the degree to which forensic psychology expert witnesses experience VT as well as the roles of psychological flexibility (PF), self-care, and burnout. Data were obtained from 83 forensic psychology expert witnesses through four self-report measures: Vicarious Trauma Scale, Mindful Self-Care Scale – Brief, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey. The study found that PF, self-care, and burnout are associated with the severity of VT. It also revealed that PF mediates the relationship between VT and burnout; however, no support was found for self-care mediating the relationship between VT and burnout. It is likely that self-care is subsumed by the construct of PF (as improving one's PF can lead to increases in self-care behavior). Overall, this research underscores the need for forensic psychology expert witnesses to continue fostering their PF and making time for self-care activities to minimize the risk of burnout as the result of VT.