Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
223,421 studies31 sourcesUpdated 34 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing

Cumulative Lifetime Trauma Exposure Among Employed Mental Health Care Professionals and Associations With Professional Quality of Life: A Cross‐Sectional Survey

  • Jacob Hvidhjelm1,2
  • Lene Lauge Berring1,3,4
4 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Research Central and West Zealand Hospital, Region Zealand Slagelse Denmark
  2. 2Department of Forensic Psychiatry Central and West Zealand Hospital, Region Zealand Slagelse Denmark
  3. 3Department of Regional Health Research University of Southern Denmark Odense Denmark
  4. 4University College Absalon Roskilde Denmark
Read full textDOICite

Abstract

Introduction: Mental health care professionals face emotionally demanding work and often carry invisible personal trauma histories.

Aim: To examine cumulative lifetime trauma exposure among employed psychiatric mental health care professionals and its associations with burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction.

Method: A cross‐sectional survey among 309 staff (31.4% registered nurses, 43.7% healthcare assistants, 12.0% psychiatrists and psychologists, 12.9% other) at a Danish psychiatric centre assessed cumulative lifetime trauma exposure, operationalised as a count of ten potentially traumatic event categories, using the Brief Trauma Questionnaire and professional quality of life (ProQOL).

Results: Among those reporting trauma, 34.3% endorsed two or more categories. Higher trauma exposure was associated with secondary traumatic stress (β = 1.27, p = 0.005) and burnout (β = 1.05, p = 0.028) but not compassion satisfaction (p = 0.759).

Discussion: Cumulative trauma exposure is a largely invisible background characteristic contributing independently to trauma‐related professional strain. Thisis particularly relevant for nursing, as nurses and nursing support staff constitute 75.1% of the inpatient workforce.

Limitations: Cross‐sectional design and single‐centre sample limit causal inference and generalisability.

Implications: Findings support universal, trauma‐informed organisational approaches that do not require disclosure of personal trauma histories, making them feasible for all staff.

Recommendations: Longitudinal studies should examine associations between trauma exposure and occupational demands.

Relevance Statement: Mental health nursing takes place in emotionally demanding environments where staff are routinely exposed to patients' traumatic experiences. This study demonstrates that employed psychiatric mental health care professionals commonly carry cumulative lifetime trauma histories that are associated with secondary traumatic stress and burnout, independent of workplace exposures. These findings are directly relevant to mental health nursing practice, as they highlight a largely invisible source of workforce vulnerability that is unlikely to be effectively addressed through individual screening or targeted interventions. The findings support the implementation of universal, trauma‐informed organisational strategies that protect all mental health care staff, including nursing staff, regardless of personal trauma history.

Related

  1. Associations between working hours, sleep status, and cumulative fatigue: a cross-sectional study among platform-based parcel delivery couriers in China
    Jin Wang, Jingjing Du, Xia Wan +2
    BMC Public HealthPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Epidemiology & public healthCrossref
  2. Associations of cumulative occupational benzene exposure with genotoxic and immunosenescence-related biomarkers: a cross-sectional study
    Wenqian Xu, Xiaoying Ruan, Lu He +2
    Frontiers in Public HealthPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textOncologyCrossrefEurope PMCPMC
  3. Cumulative risk and graded associations with high-risk sexual behaviors among Chinese university students: a cross-sectional study.
    Lu Jie, Zhou Ping, Hu Mei +7
    BMC public healthPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textEpidemiology & public healthEurope PMCDOAJ
  4. Exploring Medical Professionals’ Perspectives on Cannabinoid Use in Professional and Elite-Level Contact Sports: A Qualitative Inquiry
    Elizabeth S. Thompson, Jane Alcorn, Robert B. Laprairie +3
    Sports healthPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textGeneral medicineEurope PMC
  5. Substance use among helping professionals: rationalization and negotiation of professional identity
    Gabriel Kwun Wa Lee, Gloria Hongyee Chan, Yiu Tsang Andrew Low +1
    Frontiers in PsychiatryPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textEpidemiology & public healthCrossrefDOAJPMCEurope PMC

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{hvidhjelm2026cumulative,
  title = {{Cumulative Lifetime Trauma Exposure Among Employed Mental Health Care Professionals and Associations With Professional Quality of Life: A Cross‐Sectional Survey}},
  author = {Jacob Hvidhjelm and Lene Lauge Berring},
  journal = {Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing},
  year = {2026},
  month = aug,
  doi = {10.1111/jpm.70192},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.70192},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Cumulative Lifetime Trauma Exposure Among Employed Mental Health Care Professionals and Associations With Professional Quality of Life: A Cross‐Sectional Survey
AU  - Jacob Hvidhjelm
AU  - Lene Lauge Berring
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/10
JO  - Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
DO  - 10.1111/jpm.70192
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.70192
AB  - Introduction: Mental health care professionals face emotionally demanding work and often carry invisible personal trauma histories.  Aim: To examine cumulative lifetime trauma exposure among employed psychiatric mental health care professionals and its associations with burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction.  Method: A cross‐sectional survey among 309 staff (31.4% registered nurses, 43.7% healthcare assistants, 12.0% psychiatrists and psychologists, 12.9% other) at a Danish psychiatric centre assessed cumulative lifetime trauma exposure, operationalised as a count of ten potentially traumatic event categories, using the Brief Trauma Questionnaire and professional quality of life (ProQOL).  Results: Among those reporting trauma, 34.3% endorsed two or more categories. Higher trauma exposure was associated with secondary traumatic stress (β = 1.27, p = 0.005) and burnout (β = 1.05, p = 0.028) but not compassion satisfaction (p = 0.759).  Discussion: Cumulative trauma exposure is a largely invisible background characteristic contributing independently to trauma‐related professional strain. Thisis particularly relevant for nursing, as nurses and nursing support staff constitute 75.1% of the inpatient workforce.  Limitations: Cross‐sectional design and single‐centre sample limit causal inference and generalisability.  Implications: Findings support universal, trauma‐informed organisational approaches that do not require disclosure of personal trauma histories, making them feasible for all staff.  Recommendations: Longitudinal studies should examine associations between trauma exposure and occupational demands.  Relevance Statement: Mental health nursing takes place in emotionally demanding environments where staff are routinely exposed to patients' traumatic experiences. This study demonstrates that employed psychiatric mental health care professionals commonly carry cumulative lifetime trauma histories that are associated with secondary traumatic stress and burnout, independent of workplace exposures. These findings are directly relevant to mental health nursing practice, as they highlight a largely invisible source of workforce vulnerability that is unlikely to be effectively addressed through individual screening or targeted interventions. The findings support the implementation of universal, trauma‐informed organisational strategies that protect all mental health care staff, including nursing staff, regardless of personal trauma history.
SN  - 1351-0126
SN  - 1365-2850
ER  -