Structural Components of the Theory

The nurse’s psychological trauma theory is a middle-range theory that aims to support patient care and the nurses’ psychological well-being. The purpose of this theory is to explain the nurse-centered and patient-centered sources of psychological traumas. It is classified as a middle-range theory in nursing as it tries to uncover one aspect of patient care which affects nurses. First, this theory suggests that psychological traumas in the healthcare setting may arise from the nurse’s or the patient’s day-to-day activities. Nurses encounter emotional challenges during the dissemination of individualized care plans to patients. These traumas may arise from disasters at the workplace, inadequate resources, medication errors, and workplace trauma (Foli & Thompson, 2019). Furthermore, this school of thought proposes that each nurse has unique personal competencies in managing stress. Other capabilities, including individual resiliency, post-traumatic stress management, and the organization’s resources to help persons manage pain effectively, are instrumental inadequately managing work traumas for nurses. Therefore, this theory calls for the empowerment of the nurse’s capabilities in managing hospital-acquired stress.

Second, this theory of a nurse’s psychological trauma suggests that each individual perceives stress differently. The ability to manage traumas is significantly shaped by personal biological, genetic, physical, cultural, and spiritual experiences. The daily nursing practice stressors can be a source of depression or anxiety for nurses and patients. The patient’s worries may arise from long durations of hospital stay or the treatment outcomes. Hence, some individuals tend to leave the nursing practice, of poor services, provision of inpatient care, and engaging in substance abuse (Foli & Thompson, 2019). This theory assumes that the generation of trauma-centered nursing and patient interventions is necessary to reduce hospital stressors’ psychological burden. Therefore, this theory calls for the nurses’ active management and the patients’ psychological stressors for effective clinical outcomes.

Functional Components of the Theory

An understanding of the operational definitions of the terms used in this theory is imperative. First, a stressor refers to an unpleasant sensation experienced by a nurse or a patient that significantly affects their well-being. These stressors impair the optimal daily functioning of a human being. Another term used in this text is the allostatic load which is the constant and prolonged exposure to stressors with profound physical and emotional consequences. The sustained sensation of uneasiness has detrimental effects on an individual if not adequately addressed. Moreover, the words mitigators and buffers are widely cited by the proposers of this theory. They refer to the personal or institutional factors that empower the patients and nurses to manage the stressors effectively (Foli & Thompson, 2019). They include specific capabilities such as post-stress growth, individual resiliency to stress, and system or organization resources available for managing psychological disturbances. The understanding of these operational terms used in this theory contributes significantly to its application in nursing practice.