Secondary traumatic stress is also called which of the following?

• A. Indirect trauma and vicarious trauma
• B. Primary trauma
• C. Acute stress
• D. Compassion fatigue

Answer: (A)

Secondary traumatic stress happens when you absorb distress from others’ traumatic experiences through your work, leading to emotional and physical symptoms in yourself. It’s commonly described as indirect trauma or vicarious trauma because the impact comes from witnessing or hearing about trauma rather than experiencing it directly. This distinction helps clarify why the reactions occur: you’re empathically engaging with clients’ or colleagues’ trauma and it can mirror symptoms seen in trauma, such as intrusive thoughts, sleep problems, mood changes, and hyperarousal.

This is different from primary trauma, which is the trauma you personally experience. It also differs from acute stress, which is a broader, time-limited response to a specific stressful event, not the ongoing exposure to others’ trauma. Compassion fatigue is related and can overlap with secondary traumatic stress, describing the broader emotional exhaustion that can come from caring for traumatized people, but the most accurate terms for the specific reaction to others’ trauma are indirect trauma and vicarious trauma.