Posttraumatic growth in a nursing population: Implications for future crises

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Occupational Health
• Psychology

Background:

• Nurses face significant negative occupational experiences (NOE) during health crises.
• Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is a potential positive outcome following adversity.
• Understanding factors that promote PTG in nurses is crucial for their well-being and retention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess posttraumatic growth (PTG) in nurses during a health crisis.
• To examine the moderating roles of resilience, perceived organizational support, and well-being resource use on the relationship between NOE and PTG.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was administered to 816 nurses in a US health system in fall 2020.
• Data collected included measures of NOE, PTG, resilience, perceived organizational support, and well-being resource use.
• Linear regression analyses were used to assess associations and moderation, controlling for workload and demographics.

Main Results:

• Negative occupational experiences (NOE) were a significant predictor of posttraumatic growth (PTG).
• Higher levels of perceived organizational support and well-being resource use were associated with increased PTG.
• Resilience demonstrated a mixed interaction with NOE, but no direct association with PTG was found.

Conclusions:

• Perceived organizational support and well-being resource use are key factors that can be leveraged to foster PTG in nurses.
• Interventions aimed at enhancing these resources may help nurses experience positive psychological changes following stressful occupational experiences.
• These findings highlight actionable strategies for healthcare organizations to support nurses' psychological resilience and growth.