Evaluating post-traumatic growth among healthcare workers

Basant K. Puri; Anastasia Potoglou; Argyroula Kalaitzaki; Vasiliki Yotsidi; Maria Theodoratou; Basant K. Puri; Anastasia Potoglou; Argyroula Kalaitzaki; Vasiliki Yotsidi; Maria Theodoratou

doi:10.3934/publichealth.2025013

AIMS Public Health

2025, Volume 12, Issue 1: 202-216. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2025013

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Research article

Evaluating post-traumatic growth among healthcare workers

1.
Department of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Advanced Research, Cambridge, UK
2.
Department of Psychology, School of Health Sciences, Neapolis University Pafos, Pafos, Cyprus
3.
School of Social Sciences, Hellenic Open University, Patras, Greece
4.
Preliminary Health Care, Health Center of Lagadas, Thessaloniki Greece
5.
Social Work Department; Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Approaches for the Enhancement of Quality of Life; University Research Centre ‘Institute of AgriFood and Life Sciences', Hellenic Mediterranean University, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
6.
Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens, Greece

Received: 20 June 2024 Revised: 28 August 2024 Accepted: 24 December 2024 Published: 10 February 2025

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 (F₂₁₀₂ = 11.979, p < 0.0001). The confirmatory factor analysis of the PTGI confirmed its five-factor structure (χ²₁₈₉ = 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 (χ²₃₅ = 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.
- post-traumatic growth,
- healthcare workers,
- PTGI,
- PTGI short-form,
- factor analysis
Citation: Basant K. Puri, Anastasia Potoglou, Argyroula Kalaitzaki, Vasiliki Yotsidi, Maria Theodoratou. Evaluating post-traumatic growth among healthcare workers[J]. AIMS Public Health, 2025, 12(1): 202-216. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2025013

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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 (F₂₁₀₂ = 11.979, p < 0.0001). The confirmatory factor analysis of the PTGI confirmed its five-factor structure (χ²₁₈₉ = 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 (χ²₃₅ = 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.

Acknowledgments

This study is not funded by any agency and is being conducted by the authors independently.

Authors' contribution

Conceptualization, B.K.P.; methodology, B.K.P., A.K., and M.T.; software, B.K.P.; formal analysis, B.K.P.; investigation, A.P.; data curation, B.K.P. and M.T.; writing—original draft preparation, B.K.P.; writing—review and editing, B.K.P., A.K., V.Y., and M.T.; supervision, M.T.; project administration, B.K.P., and M.T.; All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this paper.

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