Vicarious post-traumatic growth in health professionals facing their patients’ end of life

Abstract

Numerous studies have highlighted that the death of a patient and contact with terminal illness can be considered traumatic experiences with a high emotional impact for healthcare professionals. The present study aims to investigate whether exposure to death and end-of-life situations may contribute to the development of vicarious Post-Traumatic Growth in healthcare workers holding different professional roles within the medical field.

Fifteen healthcare professionals (13 females; Mean age = 49 years (SD=10.6); mean years of service=12.4 (SD=9.8)) participated in this study. They were 1 physician, 4 nurses, 6 psychotherapists and 4 social workers; 5 of them were employed in hospitals, 4 in hospice and 6 in domiciliary care. All professionals were asked to narrate through a semi-structured questionnaire their experiences related to grief and terminal illness in patients with cancer or chronic disease.

The collected narratives were analyzed using an inductive, reflexive thematic analysis, with a theory-informed interpretation. The results highlighted four themes related to experiences of Post-Traumatic Growth among the professionals: Caregiving as witnessing and mission; Learning to live with death anxiety; Personal vulnerability and resources; Authentic communication with terminally ill patients.

The authors discuss the results, considering clinical implications and the potential role of post-traumatic growth in protecting healthcare professionals from distress and psychological suffering due to daily contact with death and dying.