One after another: vicarious trauma associated with archival record coding in sexual assault research
Campbell, Rebecca Goodman-Williams, Rachael
Campbell, Rebecca
Goodman-Williams, Rachael
Other Names
Location
Time Period
Advisors
Original Date
Digitization Date
Issue Date
2026-07-07
Type
Article
Genre
Keywords
Archival records,Coding,Prevention,Sexual assault,Vicarious trauma
Subjects (LCSH)
Citation
Campbell, R., & Goodman-Williams, R. (2026). One after another: vicarious trauma associated with archival record coding in sexual assault research. Journal of Gender-Based Violence, 10(2), 200-218. Retrieved May 5, 2026, from https://doi.org/10.1332/23986808Y2025D000000088
Abstract
Sexual violence researchers have prolonged exposure to the pain and suffering of others, which can cause vicarious trauma (VT). To date, discussion of VT in sexual violence research has focused on qualitative interviews with sexual assault survivors and how those interactions affect researchers’ well-being. In this article, we explore how VT can develop archival record review studies. We conducted an autoethnographic analysis of four empirical case studies to identify key factors that shape researchers’ VT experiences during archival coding: the volume of records reviewed, potential for recoding, limited human interaction, and exposure to multiple layers of trauma and oppression. Based on our experiences, we propose strategies to mitigate and prevent the VT experienced during archival coding research and discuss how strategies used to manage VT in qualitative interview projects could apply to record review research. © Authors 2026.
Table of Contents
Description
Click on the DOI link to access this article at the publishers website (may not be free).
Publisher
Bristol University Press
Journal
Journal of Gender-Based Violence
Book Title
Series
Digital Collection
Finding Aid URL
Use and Reproduction
Archival Collection
PubMed ID
ISSN
23986808