An Exploration of Vicarious Traumatisation in Emergency Nurses

Abstract

Vicarious traumatisation is a natural response to very specialised, highly demanding work where empathetic engagement occurs. Self capacities are a component of vicarious traumatisation. Vicarious traumatisation is a relatively new concept and has not been previously applied to emergency nurses. This thesis explores the theoretical notions of suffering and caring within the nurse patient relationship in the context of emergency nursing. It includes a small pilot study that aimed to assess the feasibility of a major research project, by describing the impact of vicarious traumatisation in emergency nurses, specifically in relation to their self capacities. This pilot study utilised a descriptive, correlational design. Data was collected by using the Inner Experience Questionnaire (IEQ) a twenty four-item questionnaire developed by Dr Pearlman (1995), and a profile sheet which identified demographic details. Twentyseven emergency nurses participated in this pilot study. The IEQ was assessed for internal reliability by applying the Cronbachs alpha and utilising a focus group to gain insight into the usability and relevance of the questions. The internal reliability of the IEQ suggests that it may be an appropriate tool to measure disruption of self capacities in the population of emergency nurses. Although the results are limited and conclusions cannot be drawn findings suggest a correlationship between the variables of age, experience, nursing qualifications and a history of personal trauma and the IEQ. There is evidence that emergency nurses are affected psychologically when caring for the victims of trauma in Emergency Departments and the IEQ has the potential as a tool to be integrated into future emergency nursing studies. A multidimensional methodological approach is recommended to capture the many contours of the complex phenomena of vicarious traumatisation and the emergency nurse. It is recommended that future research embraces the wider concepts of vicarious traumatisation and also explores the relationship of the nurse and patient within an Emergency Department.