Lawyers' experience of exposure to traumatic material

Abstract

In the last decade or more there has been increasing interest in the mental health and wellbeing of practising lawyers, both in Australia and internationally. Research reports surveying lawyers’ perceptions of their work life have found an alarming rate of mental health problems such as depression and substance abuse (Kelk, et.al., 2010). One of the potential areas of concern for legal practice and the mental health of lawyers is exposure to potentially traumatic material. The empirical research to date has found that lawyers who report high levels of depression and psychological distress are at risk from exposure to traumatic material (Levin, (2004), Maguire & Byrne (2016) and Vrklevski and Franklin (2008). While these empirical studies indicated lawyers’ mental health and wellbeing was adversely affected by their exposure to indirect trauma, there were limitations to the research. For example, researchers have not examined what type of material may affect lawyers, how the material affected lawyers, if at all, and what if anything, lawyers do in response to such exposure. Moreover, no qualitative studies exist to better understand the experience of lawyers who practise in areas of exposure risk. The aim of the thesis was to explore what material was potentially traumatic for lawyers, the effect on lawyers of the material, how they managed day to day, and over time, and the influence if any, of the organisational and professional work context on their experience. It is known that organisational culture can play a large role in how lawyers perceive and behave in the workplace (Baron, 2015). Hence, the studies in the thesis incorporated the potential influence of organisational factors and the professional legal culture on the experience of lawyers. Thus, the research reported in this thesis answered the overarching question, “What is the experience of lawyers who are regularly exposed to potentially traumatic material in their work context?”.