Evaluating post-traumatic growth among healthcare workers.

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have considered the psychological resilience and growth experienced by healthcare professionals, particularly those facing stressors and traumatic events.

Aims: To study post-traumatic growth in healthcare workers caring for patients, determine the internal consistency of the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and PTGI-Short Form (PTGI-SF) instruments, and carry out confirmatory analyses of their five-factor structures.

Setting: Healthcare workers based in Greece.

Methods: Cross-sectional design. Linear regression analysis with tested independent variables consisting of demographic, professional, health facility, and patient contact data. Confirmatory five-factor analyses of PTGI and PTGI-SF results were performed to validate their associated factors. Unidimensional reliability of the PTGI and PTGI-SF results was calculated.

Results: The final regression model included sex and whether the internet was the source of health-related knowledge (F ₂₁₀₂ = 11.979, p < 0.0001). The confirmatory factor analysis of the PTGI confirmed its five-factor structure (χ² ₁₈₉ = 1233.642, p < 0.0001), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA = 0.229, p < 0.0001), and internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.971). Similarly for the PTGI-SF (χ² ₃₅ = 535.965, p < 0.0001; RMSEA = 0.369, p < 0.0001; Cronbach α = 0.935).

Conclusion: Being female and not using the internet as the principal source of information about diseases were each associated with increased post-traumatic growth. The internal consistencies of both the PTGI and the PTGI-SF were confirmed, as were the robustness of the five-factor structure of each instrument.