Secondary Traumatic Stress and Help-Seeking Behavior of Human Rights Officer

[Secondary Traumatic Stress dan Perilaku Mencari Bantuan Pada Human Rights Officer]

  • Eka Christiningsih Tanlain Fakultas Psikologi Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya
  • Evi Sukmaningrum Fakultas Psikologi Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya
Abstract Views: 590 times
PDF - Full Text Downloads: 341 times
Keywords: secondary traumatic stress (STS), human rights officer (HRO), help-seeking behavior, perilaku mencari bantuan, attitude toward help-seeking behavior, sikap terhadap perilaku mencari bantuan, intention, intensi

Abstract

A human rights officer (HRO) is a human rights institution staff whose job is to receive and handle cases of alleged violations of human rights. They are at risk of experiencing secondary traumatic stress (STS) due to continuous exposure to cases of alleged violations of human rights. Left untreated, secondary traumatic stress (STS) will have an impact on the personal and professional life of the human rights officer (HRO). The qualitative-phenomenological analysis of the four human rights officers (HRO) in this study describes the secondary traumatic stress (STS) experienced and explores risk factors and help-seeking behavior which includes intentions and attitudes. The results of the study showed that the study participants showed symptoms of secondary traumatic stress (STS) in the High and Very High categories. This causes participants to become emotional, often think about work, and tend to avoid complainants. Physical reactions were also identified in human rights officers (HRO) who were still active in handling cases, such as getting tired quickly, falling asleep faster, and often having stomach ulcers. The risk factors for secondary traumatic stress (STS) for them are heavy workload, long working hours, increased frequency of case exposure and contact with complainants, handling of severe cases, complaining factors, lack of support from institutions and difficult to distance emotional involvement. All participants had the intention to seek help by informing third parties to receive support, solutions, and information when it became unbearable.

 

Human rights officer (HRO) adalah staf lembaga hak asasi manusia (HAM) yang bertugas menerima dan menangani kasus dugaan pelanggaran hak asasi manusia (HAM). Mereka memiliki risiko mengalami secondary traumatic stress (STS) karena paparan kasus dugaan pelanggaran hak asasi manusia (HAM) yang terus-menerus. Secondary traumatic stress (STS) yang tidak ditangani akan berdampak pada kehidupan personal dan profesional dari human rights officer (HRO). Kajian kualitatif-fenomenologis pada empat human rights officer (HRO) dalam studi ini menggambarkan secondary traumatic stress (STS) yang dialami dan menggali faktor risiko serta perilaku mencari bantuan yang meliputi intensi dan sikap. Hasil studi menunjukkan bahwa para partisipan studi menunjukkan gejala secondary traumatic stress (STS) dalam kategori Tinggi dan Sangat Tinggi. Hal tersebut menyebabkan partisipan menjadi emosional, sering memikirkan pekerjaan, dan cenderung menghindari pengadu. Reaksi fisik juga teridentifikasi pada human rights officer (HRO) yang masih aktif menangani kasus, seperti cepat lelah, lebih cepat mengantuk, dan sering sakit maag. Faktor risiko penyebab secondary traumatic stress (STS) pada mereka adalah beban kerja yang berat, jam kerja yang panjang, peningkatan frekuensi paparan kasus dan kontak dengan pelapor, penanganan kasus yang berat, faktor pengadu, kurangnya dukungan dari institusi dan keterlibatan emosional yang sulit berjarak. Seluruh partisipan memiliki intensi untuk mencari bantuan dengan bercerita kepada pihak ketiga untuk mendapatkan dukungan, solusi, dan informasi jika sudah tidak tertahankan.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adams, K. B., Matto, H. C., & Harrington, D. (2001). The Traumatic Stress Institute Belief Scale as a measure of vicarious trauma in a national sample of clinical social workers. Families in Society, 82(4), 363-371. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.178

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

Bharadwaj, P., Pai, M. M., & Suziedelyte, A. (2017). Mental health stigma. Economic Letters, 159, 57-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2017.06.028

Bride, B. E., Radey, M., & Figley, C.R. (2007). Measuring compassion fatigue. Clinical Social Work Journal 35, 155-163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-007-0091-7

Cardozo, B. L., Crawford, C., Petit, P., Ghitis, F., Sivilli, T. I., Scholte, W. F., Ager, A., & Eriksson, C. (2013). Factors affecting mental health of local staff working in the Vanni Region, Sri Lanka. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 5(6), 581-590. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030969

Catalano, R., Goldman-Mellor, S., Saxton, K., Margerison-Zilko, C., Subbaraman, M., LeWinn, K. & Anderson, E. (2012). The health effects of economic decline. Annual Review of Public Health, 32, 431-450. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031210-101146

Colombo, L., Emanuel, F., & Zito, M. (2019). Secondary traumatic stress: Relationship with symptoms, exhaustion, and emotions among cemetery workers. Frontiers in Psychology, 10:633. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00633

Cornally, N., & McCarthy, G. (2011). Help-seeking behaviour: A concept analysis. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 17(3), 280-288. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-172X.2011.01936.x

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/qualitative-inquiry-and-research-design/book246896

Cummings, C., Singer, J., Hisaka, R., & Benuto, L. T. (2021). Compassion satisfaction to combat work-related burnout, vicarious trauma, and secondary traumatic stress. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(9-10), NP5304-NP5319. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518799502

Figley, C. R. (1995). Compassion fatigue as secondary traumatic stress disorder: An overview. In C. R. Figley (Ed.), Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized (pp. 1–20). Brunner/Mazel. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1995-97891-001

Gil, S., & Weinberg, M. (2015). Secondary trauma among social workers treating trauma clients: The role of coping strategies and internal resources. International Social Work, 58(4), 551-561. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872814564705

Gray, C., Rydon-Grange, M. (2020). Individual characteristics, secondary trauma and burnout in police sexual and violent offending teams. The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles, 93(2), 146-161. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X19847499

Guskovict, K. L., & Potocky, M. (2018). Mitigating psychological distress among humanitarian staff working with migrants and refugees: A case example. Advances in Social Work, 18(3), 965-982. https://doi.org/10.18060/21644

Hannah, B., & Woolgar, M. (2018). Secondary trauma and compassion fatigue in foster carers. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 23(4), 629-643. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104518778327

Hesketh, I., Cooper, C. L., & Ivy, J. (2015). Well-being, austerity and policing: Is it worth investing in resilience training? The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles, 88(3), 220-230. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X15598950

Hoffman, G. J., & Wallace, S. P. (2018). The cost of caring: Economic vulnerability, serious emotional distress, and poor health behaviors among paid and unpaid family and friend caregivers. Research on Aging, 40(8), 791-809. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027517742430

Infurna, F. J., Rivers, C. T., Reich, J., & Zautra, A. J. (2015). Childhood trauma and personal mastery: Their influence on emotional reactivity to everyday events in community sample of middle-aged adults. PloS ONE, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0121840

Jacobson, J. M. (2012). Risk of compassion fatigue and burnout and potential for compassion satisfaction among employee assistance professionals: Protecting the workforce. Traumatology, 18(3), 64-72. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534765611431833

Johansen, A. B., Kristiansen, E., Bjelland, I., & Tavakoli, S. (2019). Secondary traumatic stress in Norwegian SUD-therapists: Symptoms and related factors. Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 36(6), 522-531. https://doi.org/10.1177/1455072519847014

Kiyimba, N. & O’Reilly, M. (2016). The risk of secondary traumatic stress in the qualitative transcription process: A research note. Qualitative Research, 16(4), 468-576. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794115577013

Kutcher, S., Wei, Y., & Coniglio, C. (2016). Mental health literacy: Past, present, and future. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry [Revue Canadienne de Psychiatrie], 61(3), 154-158. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743715616609

Leman, H. K., & Arjadi, R. (2023). Self-criticism in emerging adulthood with adverse childhood experiences increases depression, anxiety, and stress [Kritik diri pada dewasa awal dengan pengalaman buruk di masa kecil meningkatkan depresi. kecemasan, dan stres]. ANIMA Indonesian Psychological Journal, 38(1), 129-148. https://doi.org/10.24123/aipj.v38i1.4893

Liang, B., Goodman, L., Tummala-Narra, P., & Weintraub, S. (2005). A theoretical framework for understanding help-seeking processes among survivors of intimate partner violence. American Journal of Community Psychology, 36(1-2), 71-84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-005-6233-6

Ludick, M., & Figley, C. R. (2017). Toward a mechanism for secondary trauma induction and reduction: Reimagining a theory of secondary traumatic stress. Traumatology, 23(1), 112-123. https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000096

Lusk, M., & Terrazas, S. (2015). Secondary trauma among caregivers who work with Mexican and Central American refugees. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 37(2), 257-273. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986315578842

Lynch, L., Long, M., & Moorhead, A. (2016). Young men, help-seeking, and mental health services: Exploring barriers and solutions. American Journal of Men’s Health, 12(1), 138-140. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988315619469

Mackenzie, C. S., Gekoski, W. L., & Knox, V. J. (2006). Age, gender, and the underutilization of mental health services: The influence of help-seeking attitudes. Aging & Mental Health, 10(6), 574-582. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607860600641200

MacRitchie, V., & Leibowitz, S. (2010). Secondary traumatic stress, level of exposure, empathy and social support in trauma workers. South African Journal of Psychology, 40(2), 149-158. https://doi.org/10.1177/008124631004000204

Manning-Jones, S., de Terte, I., & Stephens, C. (2016). Secondary traumatic stress, vicarious posttraumatic growth, and coping among health professionals; A comparison study. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 45(1). 20-29. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-22712-003

Nurhayati, S. R. (2013). Sikap dan intensi mencari bantuan dalam menghadapi masalah [Help-seeking attitude and intention in dealing with problems]. Jurnal Penelitian Humaniora, 18(1), 92-100. https://doi.org/10.21831/hum.v18i1.3273

Padmanabhanunni, A. (2020). The cost of caring: Secondary traumatic stress and burnout among lay trauma counsellors in the Western Cape province. South African Journal of Psychology 50(3), 385-394. https://doi.org/10.1177/0081246319892898

Panis, M. P., Damayanti, Y., & Keraf, M. K. P. A. (2019). Coping strategies, personality type, and help-seeking behavior for mental health problems. Journal of Health and Behavioral Science, 1(2), 98-105. https://doi.org/10.35508/jhbs.v1i2.2087

Pemerintah Republik Indonesia [The Government of the Republic of Indonesia]. (1999). Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 39 Tahun 1999 Tentang Hak Asasi Manusia. Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia. https://www.komnasham.go.id/files/1475231474-uu-nomor-39-tahun-1999-tentang-%24H9FVDS.pdf

Plakas, C. (2018). Burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress among humanitarian aid workers in Jordan. Preprints.

Powell, M., Cassematis, P., Benson, M., Smallbone, S., & Wortley, R. (2014). Police officers’ strategies for coping with the stress of investigating Internet child exploitation. Traumatology: An International Journal, 20(1), 32-42. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0099378

Prayitno, H. A., & Andayani, B. (2023). The relationship between peer social support and academic stress among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic [Hubungan antara dukungan sosial teman sebaya dan stres akademik mahasiswa selama pandemi COVID-19]. ANIMA Indonesian Psychological Journal, 38(1), 86-104. https://doi.org/10.24123/aipj.v38i1.4711

Rickwood, D., & Thomas, K. (2012). Conceptual measurement framework for help-seeking for mental health problems. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 5, 173-183. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S38707

Rickwood, D., Deane, F.O., Wilson, C.J. & Ciarrochi, J. (2005) Young people’s help-seeking for mental health problems. Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 4(3), 218-251, https://doi.org/10.5172/jamh.4.3.218

Rizkalla, N. & Segal, S. P. (2019). Trauma during humanitarian work: The effects on intimacy, wellbeing and PTSD-symptoms [El trauma durante el trabajo humanitario: Los efectos en la intimidad, bienestar, y los síntomas del TEPT]. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 10(1):1679065. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1679065

Seaward, B. L. (2012). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being (7th ed.). Jones and Bartlett Publishers. https://www.jblearning.com/catalog/productdetails/9781284283150

Severson, M., & Pettus-Davis, C. (2013). Parole officers’ experiences of the symptoms of secondary trauma in the supervision of sex offenders. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 57(1), 5-24. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X11422696

Stamm, B. H. (2005) The Professional Quality of Life Scale: Compassion satisfaction, burnout & compassion fatigue/secondary trauma scales. Idaho State University & Sidran Press. https://compassionfatigue.org/pages/ProQOLManualOct05.pdf

Strohmeier, H., & Scholte, W. F. (2015) Trauma-related mental health problems among national humanitarian staff: A systematic review of the literature. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 6(1):28541. https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v6.28541

Strohmeier, H., Scholte, W. F., & Ager, A. (2018). Factors associated with common mental health problems of humanitarian workers in South Sudan. PLoS ONE, 13(10):e0205333. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0205333

Sukmaningrum, E. (2004). Dinamika secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma, dan burnout: Studi pada pendamping yang menangani kekerasan terhadap anak dan perempuan [The dynamics of secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma, and burnout: A study on companions dealing with violence against children and women] [Master’s thesis, Universitas Indonesia]. Universitas Indonesia Library. https://lib.ui.ac.id/detail?id=20342700&lokasi=lokal

Susanty, E., Koesno, S., Yudhistira, C., Lusianti, L., & Suprijanto. (2015). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for handling post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) respondents. ANIMA Indonesian Psychological Journal, 30(2), 65-74. https://doi.org/10.24123/aipj.v30i2.536

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [OHCHR]. (2011). Chapter 12: Trauma and self-care. In The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (Ed.), Manual on human rights monitoring (Revised ed.). https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/Chapter12-MHRM.pdf

Tim Penyusun Laporan Tahunan Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia (Komnas HAM) 2019 [Yearly Report Authorship Team of the National Human Rights Commission 2019]. (2020). Laporan tahunan Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia 2019 [2019 yearly report of the National Human Rights Commission]. Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia. https://www.komnasham.go.id/files/20201209-laporan-tahunan-komnas-ham-2019-$V1GFW5HE.pdf

Tim Penyusun Laporan Tahunan Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia (Komnas HAM) 2020 [Yearly Report Authorship Team of the National Human Rights Commission 2020]. (2021). Laporan tahunan Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia 2020: Pemajuan & penegakan HAM di era pandemi COVID-19 [2020 yearly report of the National Human Rights Commission: Advancement & enforcement of human rights in the COVID-19 pandemic era]. Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia. https://www.komnasham.go.id/files/20210830-laporan-tahunan-komnas-ham-ri--$R1X5O.pdf

Weinberg, M. (2014). The ideological dilemma of subordination of self versus self-care: Identity construction of the ‘ethical social worker.’ Discourse & Society, 25(1), 84-99. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926513508855

Published
2023-07-30
How to Cite
Tanlain, E. C., & Sukmaningrum, E. (2023). Secondary Traumatic Stress and Help-Seeking Behavior of Human Rights Officer: [Secondary Traumatic Stress dan Perilaku Mencari Bantuan Pada Human Rights Officer]. ANIMA Indonesian Psychological Journal, 38(2), e01. https://doi.org/10.24123/aipj.v38i2.4675