Abstract
A growing body of research addresses the emotional impact on archivists from working directly with materials that contain depictions of human suffering and from working with researchers and donors whose own lives are depicted in the records. This study sought to determine the impact of exposures to potentially traumatizing events and ongoing work stressors on symptoms of post-traumatic stress and burnout in archivists, as well as whether organizational factors, including trauma-informed practices, are associated with levels of post-traumatic stress and burnout. Seventy-seven archivists participated in a web-based survey. Findings reveal moderate to strong associations between a variety of potentially distressing workplace exposures and symptoms of post-traumatic stress, as well as between ongoing workplace stressors and burnout. Perhaps less expected were the associations found between ongoing workplace stressors and post-traumatic stress symptoms and the strong correlations between traumatic stress symptoms and burnout, suggesting that organizational environments can contribute to traumatic stress responses. However, trauma-informed organizational practices were significantly associated with lower levels of burnout and traumatic stress. This finding supports the implementation of trauma-informed practices not only to improve services to users, donors, and the community but also to improve the well-being of archival staff.
Recommended Citation
Regehr, Cheryl; Duff, Wendy; and Lefebvre, Rachael
(2025)
"Associations among Trauma Exposures, Workplace Factors, and Distress Responses in Archivists,"
Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies: Vol. 12, Article 12.
Available at:
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol12/iss1/12