The mediating role of ruminations in the relationship between negative and positive effects of indirect trauma in police officers.

Objective: Professionals working with people after traumatic events can experience both secondary traumatic stress (STS) and secondary posttraumatic growth (SPTG) as a result of exposure to indirect trauma; in both cases, a key role in their development is played by ruminations about the events experienced by the client. The aim of the study was to establish the relationship between STS, ruminations, and SPTG and determine the mediating role of ruminations in the relationship between STS and SPTG in a group of police officers.

Method: The study examined 682 police officers exposed to indirect trauma. Most of the respondents were men (75.1%). The mean age of the participants was 40.04 years (SD = 4.41). Three standard measurement tools were used: the Secondary Traumatic Stress Inventory, the Secondary Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, and the Event-Related Rumination Inventory. STS and SPTG were measured twice, with the second measurement taking place 6 months after the first measurement.

Results: STS was positively associated with SPTG. Ruminations positively correlated with STS and SPTG. Ruminations, mainly deliberate ones, played a mediating role in the relationship between STS and SPTG in both stages of the study.

Conclusions: Both STS and ruminations seem to favor the occurrence of SPTG in police officers working with people after traumatic experiences. Ruminations, especially deliberate ones, play an important role in the transition from the negative to the positive effects of indirect trauma. A tendency for deliberate rumination about the events experienced by the clients can increase the intensity of SPTG. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).