Collective Healing: A Relational and Meaning-Centered Concept in Nursing Science

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Social Sciences
• Psychology

Background:

• Collective trauma impacts communities globally from disasters, pandemics, violence, displacement, and oppression.
• Collective healing is recognized in interdisciplinary fields but lacks consistent definition in nursing.
• Existing scholarship necessitates a clearer conceptualization of collective healing within nursing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clarify the defining attributes, antecedents, and consequences of collective healing.
• To advance theoretical understanding of collective healing in nursing science.
• To establish collective healing as a critical construct for trauma-informed and equity-oriented scholarship.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Rodgers and Knafl's evolutionary concept analysis framework.
• Conducted a systematic examination of peer-reviewed literature.
• Synthesized findings to conceptualize collective healing.

Main Results:

• Collective healing is conceptualized as a relational, meaning-centered, socially embedded, and nonlinear process.
• It emerges in response to shared trauma.
• Key shaping factors include collective identity, structural conditions, and sustained relational connection.

Conclusions:

• Collective healing is a multifaceted process crucial for addressing community trauma.
• This analysis provides theoretical clarity for collective healing within nursing.
• The findings support the integration of collective healing into trauma-informed and equity-focused nursing practices.