Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Surgical Profession

The psychological impact of treating individuals who have undergone severely traumatic experiences is known as secondary traumatic stress (STS). It has been well characterized by mental health therapists and social workers. Analysis of STS in surgeons and medical students is limited to merely a handful of studies, with only 1 paper describing STS in trauma surgeons and two describing STS in medical students. This review aims to provide a comprehensive account of existing work on STS, identify gaps in knowledge of STS in surgeons and medical students, and distinguish STS from other similar phenomena that have been commonly misidentified by recent works.

A review of the literature in English was conducted through PubMed. MeSH terms included "STS, compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, and secondary trauma." All papers referenced in the identified works were screened and assessed for relevance.

Only two studies that directly assess STS in surgeons were identified. STS levels reported varied widely between the two. Similar studies were identified that focused on burnout, compassion fatigue, or post-traumatic stress disorder, which are similar but not identical. Only 1 study evaluated STS in trauma surgeons and found that 65% of those in the study had at least 1 symptom of STS. Only two studies were identified that studied STS in medical students, but with conflicting results on prevalence. It was identified that there are various measuring tools to assess for STS symptoms but no established standard of assessment that allows for cross-comparisons.

Knowledge of STS is extremely limited in surgeons and medical students, not only due to a general lack of awareness of STS but also due to confusion and misuse of other related terms. This review calls for more efforts to identify and address STS in surgeons and medical students while also standardizing methodologies that screen for STS symptoms.