Coping, Personality and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Nurses Affected by Super Storm Sandy

Abstract

Objectives: To identify the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by nurses as a result of a natural disaster, and its relationship to personality and coping style. Design and Sample: A descriptive correlational design was used to examine the relationships between and among the variables using an anonymous online survey. Measures: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was measured using the PTSD-8 [1]. The Brief COPE [2] was used to measure coping style. Personality was measured utilizing the State Trait Personality Inventory [3]. Participants answered demographic questions such as gender and age, and how they were affected by the storm. Results: Over 19% percent of the nurse participants met the criteria for PTSD. The significant predictors of PTSD were the personality characteristics of state-anxiety, state-trait and trait depression, and the coping strategies of active coping, denial, acceptance, instrumental support, behavioral disengagement, venting and planning. The final regression model explained 90.7% of the variance in high PTSD-8 score. Conclusions: The findings of this study support the literature and the researchers' belief, that there is a relationship among coping, personality, and PTSD. More research is needed to understand the individual coping mechanisms that nurses utilize during times of stress and how they are related to personality and PTSD.

Association between habitual use of coping strategies and posttraumatic stress symptoms in a non-clinical sample of college students: A Bayesian approach

“…This finding is in line with the current literature finding that functional/adaptive coping styles are related to good health outcomes, such as low trait anxiety, high self-esteem, high heart rate variability, and low PTSS [9,[24][25]56]. It is important to note that several studies measured coping styles associated with a specific traumatic event [7,9], whereas our study measured the usual coping styles of participants, which means that they completed the Brief COPE scale thinking about how they usually deal with stressors on a daily basis. Furthermore, one can speculate that individuals who use more adaptive coping styles-in this case, emotion-focused coping styles-tend to have a reduced psychological stress response.…”

“…One of the explanations given is that in large-scale events, individuals tend to use more emotion and problem-focused coping styles as an attempt to eliminate the stressor or reduce stress [7]. In contrast to Schnider et al (2007) and Roberts et al (2016) [16,7], in our study we found that emotion-focused coping strategies were associated with reduced severity of PTSS. This finding is in line with the current literature finding that functional/adaptive coping styles are related to good health outcomes, such as low trait anxiety, high self-esteem, high heart rate variability, and low PTSS [9,[24][25]56].…”

“…Moreover, the authors found a positive association of emotion-and problem-focused coping styles with PTSS [16]. Similarly, in a study with nurses who had been exposed to Superstorm Sandy in 2012, Roberts et al (2016) [7] observed that coping styles considered adaptive, such as active coping, instrumental support, and acceptance, were positively associated with PTSS severity. One of the explanations given is that in large-scale events, individuals tend to use more emotion and problem-focused coping styles as an attempt to eliminate the stressor or reduce stress [7].…”

“…Similarly, in a study with nurses who had been exposed to Superstorm Sandy in 2012, Roberts et al (2016) [7] observed that coping styles considered adaptive, such as active coping, instrumental support, and acceptance, were positively associated with PTSS severity. One of the explanations given is that in large-scale events, individuals tend to use more emotion and problem-focused coping styles as an attempt to eliminate the stressor or reduce stress [7]. In contrast to Schnider et al (2007) and Roberts et al (2016) [16,7], in our study we found that emotion-focused coping strategies were associated with reduced severity of PTSS.…”

“…Considering the literature, emotion dysregulation and the use of poor and inadequate coping styles while facing a stressor represent risk factors that enhance the probability of developing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. According to Lazarus and Folkman [21], coping interferes with one's ability to resist to a trauma, probably attenuating stress responses.…”