Having to intervene in severe crises or bearing witness to human tragedy, can take its toll on the individual (Erickson, Vande Kemp, Gorsuch, Hoke & Foy, 2001; Lind, 2000; Lugris, 2000). These effects can include severe, debilitating anxiety that persists for months and sometimes even years following the event. Because these people are not directly involved in the event, their distress often goes undetected (Brady, Guy, Poelstra & Brokaw, 1999; Motta, Joseph, Rose, Suozzi & Leiderman, 1997). Support resources for people who are indirectly affected by a traumatic event are limited. To date, a history of previous trauma, previous psychological well‐being, social support, age, gender, educational achievement, socio‐economic status and styles of coping have been highlighted as mediating the effects of indirect exposure to a traumatic incident. Understanding this phenomenon and the mechanisms precipitating such distress is an important step in providing appropriate help for a large number of people indirectly affected by tragic events. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Post‐traumatic stress through indirect exposure to trauma can mimic the psychological experiences of direct victims. This is referred to as vicarious traumatization, an impairing condition that largely goes undetected in the general population. This study sought to describe this condition and predict those who may be at risk of developing this type of post‐traumatic stress. One hundred and fifteen participants from south‐east New South Wales (NSW) in Australia who had not experienced any direct exposure, loss or injury from the 2001–2002 NSW bushfires were interviewed using the Vicarious Traumatization Questionnaire, Impact of Events Scale and Coping Strategies Indicator. Results indicated that specific peri‐event, post‐event and pre‐event characteristics were able to predict at least 75 per cent of those who experienced vicarious traumatization resulting from the 2001–2002 NSW bushfires. This study was able to identify and describe vicarious traumatization in a sample of the general population. The importance of these results and the issues for further research are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.