Predictors of posttraumatic growth of intensive care unit nurses in Korea

Abstract

Aim Nurses working in intensive care units are repeatedly exposed to trauma (e.g., verbal or physical abuse by confused patients, and unexpected death). However, after experiencing traumatic events, not all intensive care unit nurses develop psychopathological issues, including posttraumatic stress disorder. Therefore, this study aims to examine the level of posttraumatic growth and psychosocial factors such as posttraumatic stress symptoms, deliberate rumination, wisdom, and self‐compassion to predict posttraumatic growth in Korean intensive care unit nurses. Methods A total of 156 intensive care unit nurses participated in this cross‐sectional survey. Posttraumatic growth, posttraumatic stress symptoms, deliberate rumination, wisdom, and self‐compassion were measured using validated self‐report scales, and data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Result Posttraumatic growth was found to be comparatively low in intensive care unit nurses, while multiple regression showed that positive self‐compassion was the most significant predictor for posttraumatic growth, followed by wisdom, age, and deliberate rumination. All together four variables explained 30% of the variance in posttraumatic growth. Conclusion Findings from this study suggest that intensive care unit nurses' posttraumatic growth may be enhanced by increasing positive self‐compassion, wisdom, and deliberate rumination. Therefore, a paradigm shift focusing on possible positive pathways, such as development of mental health programs to improve posttraumatic growth for intensive care unit nurses is required rather than focusing on management of posttraumatic stress disorder. The results of this study could provide theoretical guidance to seek more effective and integrated intervention strategies for intensive care unit nurses.

Factors Associated with Post-Traumatic Growth in Healthcare Professionals: A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…Over time, emotional distress caused by intrusive rumination after trauma is alleviated by a constructive cognitive process that leads to deliberate rumination [ 52 ]. This deliberate rumination supports PTG [ 53 ]. Nurses who engaged in deliberate rumination by thinking about what they had learned from their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic had higher PTG [ 55 ].…”

“…Firstly, two studies identified Self-Compassion as an enabler of post-traumatic growth (PTG) among nurses [ 51 , 53 ]. Both studies draw on Neff [ 82 ] who defines self-compassion as being generous or kind to oneself, perceiving one’s experience of suffering as part of the larger human experience and being mindful to not over-identify with painful thoughts or emotions.…”

“…Both studies draw on Neff [ 82 ] who defines self-compassion as being generous or kind to oneself, perceiving one’s experience of suffering as part of the larger human experience and being mindful to not over-identify with painful thoughts or emotions. Chang et al [ 53 ] explain that nurses with positive self-compassion can view their suffering as a part of common life experiences and that this helps them gain the insights needed to reinterpret the traumatic event positively, thus supporting the development of PTG.…”

“…Wisdom was identified as an enabler of PTG in two studies [ 53 , 72 ]. Wisdom allows people to deeply understand the contradictions of life, and existential problems while maintaining a broad perspective and this helps them develop PTG when they confront adversities or life crises [ 83 ].…”

“…Non-work-related Demographic Factors were also identified. Three articles found that Age influenced PTG, with older individuals experiencing higher PTG [ 53 , 63 , 69 ]. Specifically, Lee and Kim [ 63 ] found that older caregivers with a religious affiliation experienced greater PTG after patient death and Okoli and Seng [ 70 ] found that compared to those in the 18–25-year category, those aged between 36–50 had higher personal strength scores.…”