A Caring Program for Health Promotion among Women Who Have Experienced Trauma: A Quasi-Experimental Pilot Study

PURPOSE Women are more vulnerable to post-traumatic stress (PTS) than men, causing several health problems. Nurses should understand and work with women who have experienced trauma and provide interventions to promote their physical, social, and mental health. METHODS This quasi-experimental pilot study used a one-group pre-test/post-test design. Data were collected from 14 women recruited between December 2019 and May 2020 from a self-sufficiency support center in South Korea for sexually-exploited women who had experienced trauma. The program consisted of six one-on-one intervention sessions per week for six weeks. Each session averaged 60~120 minutes. Participants were assessed at pre-test, post-test, and one-month follow-up. Changes in outcome variables over time were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank and Friedman tests. RESULTS The caring program for health promotion was divided into six sessions: understanding the self, sharing traumatic events and negative emotions, reframing the meaning of traumatic events, identifying thoughts and physical and emotional responses, developing health promotion activities, and maintaining a positive attitude during the process of change. As a result of the caring program, PTS (F = 36.33, p < .001), depression (F = 24.45, p < .001), health-promoting behaviors (F = 7.06, p =.004), and self-esteem (F = 19.74, p < .001) among the participants differed significantly at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. CONCLUSION This study provides foundational information for the implementation of a theory-driven program by nurses in clinical and community settings to provide comprehensive care for women who have experienced trauma.