MENTAL-HEALTH PROFESSIONALS VERSUS NON-MENTAL-HEALTH PROFESSIONALS - CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AND ADULT FUNCTIONING

Research on childhood family environments of mental health professionals suggests that therapists are often raised in dysfunctional families and experience significant psychological distress in adult life. This study examined the prevalence of childhood trauma. family dysfunction, and current psychological distress among female mental health professionals (N = 340) and compared it with the prevalence among women working in other professions (N = 2,623). Psychotherapists reported higher rates of physical abuse, sexual molestation, parental alcoholism, psychiatric hospitalization of a parent, death of a family member, and greater family dysfunction in their families of origin than did other professionals. As adults, psychotherapists experienced less anxiety, depression, dissociation, sleep disturbance, and impairment in interpersonal relationships than did women in professions other than mental health.